


Angel Amongst Bats

by rawritzrobin



Series: The Stellaverse [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Jason Todd Has a Heart, Jason Todd Needs a hug in every universe, Jason Todd Never Dies, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), What if Jason had fallen in love as Robin, i am terrible at tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 26,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24484597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rawritzrobin/pseuds/rawritzrobin
Summary: Stella Covington wakes up one day in an alternate universe, where Jason never dies, but she does. What will she discover about this universe? Will she be able to change this universe's Jason the way she changed hers? And why are people acting like she doesn't have feelings? Will she ever get home? A story about a girl who discovers how the butterfly effect works throughout the multiverse.In other news, I am bad at summaries! (:Find the Prequel here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25398232/chapters/61590388
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Jason Todd/Original Female Character(s), Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: The Stellaverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774024
Comments: 23
Kudos: 52





	1. Prologue: Stella

**Author's Note:**

> Quick introduction,
> 
> Stella Covington is my OC. She is blonde and has blue eyes.
> 
> She is the daughter of a billionaire who is close friends with Bruce Wayne. Her dad's company deals with overseas corporate investing. Her mom dies of cancer when Stella is a little girl.
> 
> She meets Jason at Gotham prep and the two quickly fall in love. Jason reveals his secret identity to her early on and she knows about the entire Batman crew. When Jason comes back from the dead, she is there to help Bruce bring his son back to the light. Stella and Jason are basically soulmates.
> 
> I think that is all. I haven't written anything in a century, so if anyone wants to be my beta for future chapters please reach out. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! (:

“I’ll be home soon doll.”

“Can wait Red. See you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.” Click

Stella placed her phone on the bed and brought her laptop up on to her lap. It was around 3am and she was finishing up a proposal for her Monday morning meeting with the board. They wanted to discuss next years plan to get more people into her animal park. 

Stella and Jason had been dating for 5 years now. Not counting, the time that Jason spent “dead” of course. She was distraught when she first found out about Jason’s death. She spent weeks in isolation. Locking herself up in her room. Not going to school. Not eating. It was brutal. One day she found herself on top of her dads tower. Sitting on the corner ledge of the roof, ready to jump. Ready to be with Jason.

It was Dick that found her. He sat next to her that night and they talked. He convinced her Jason would not have wanted her to do this. That he would have wanted her to move on and live her life to the fullest. Being the son of two deceased parents, he knew how hard it was to lose someone so important to you. He knew how much Jason meant to her and how devastating it was to lose him.

They talked until the sun came up and he was finally able to convince her to get off the ledge, and go out to eat breakfast with him. It was the first time she had a real meal in weeks. They bonded after that, and Stella became a regular in the Wayne household. She quickly bonded with Barbara, as well as Tim; the new Robin.

Life after that was simple. She finished Gotham Prep and moved on to study marine animals in uni. She was finally getting her life back. 

Until Jason showed up in an alley one day dressed as the Red Hood. Through all the drama between Bruce and Jason, Stella was able to convince him to come back to their side of things, and to stop killing. It wasn’t easy to convince Jason to stop killing criminals. Hell, Stella thought his whole “kill the bad guys” vendetta was actually really smart. Just not morally right.

When Jason came back into her life, she felt whole once more. After a few years of trial and error, they were back together. Stella had graduated uni and with the help of her dad, opened her very own marine animal park. Jason was able to land a spot working with Wayne enterprise as Vice President of Applied Sciences. 

His “revival” was a shock to the public, but Bruce coined his death as a kidnapping scheme gone wrong. The press ate it all up, and Jason was allowed back into the public eye once more. He continued his vigilante life as Red Hood and things went back to normal.

Things were simple. Well as simple as “my boyfriend is a vigilante” could get.

Stella was sitting alone in her and Jason’s apartment. Which, was really one of Bruce’s nicer safe houses that they decided to commender. Jason wouldn’t let her stay alone at one of his less secure safe houses and she really didn’t want to stay in her penthouse alone tonight. Plus, Jason felt at ease knowing all of the safety nets placed around the building.

Stella was just about to get up and prepare a snack and some tea for Jason’s return, when she heard the front door alarm go off. 

Weird, she thought. After patrol, Jason would usually come through the window. But he was also one of the only ones that would be able to open the front door so she thought nothing more of it and headed towards the front door to great her boyfriend.

“Hey Ja-“ She paused mid sentence she noticed the door was closed, and there was no sign of Jason in the living room. Her self defense senses kicked in as she reached for the taser gun Jason kept hung up in the hallway. 

She slowly made her way towards the door, gun pointed in the doors direction. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The living room looked unturned and there was no way someone would be able to walk through the place without making any noise.

“I know I heard.” She whispered to herself. Stella made her way towards the door to check the lock. 

It was locked.

She slowly tip toed and looked out the peep hole.

There was no one there.

She sighed, and lowered the gun. She turned around slowly and suddenly she felt a pair of arms grab her shoulder. The sudden jolt caused her to drop the taser. Her assailant quickly kicked it away from her as he threw her against the wall, head first. 

Stella shook her head as she saw stars painting her vision. Then, darkness.


	2. Chapter 1: Where am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella wakes up in an unfamiliar part of town, and runs into an old friend.

It was cold. The floor was hard and wet. Stella opened her eyes let out a small moan. Her head was killing her and she was definitely not in her cushy apartment anymore. She sat up and rubbed her head. She winced as she came in contact with a sore spot. That was when it all came back to her. The last thing she remembers was getting grabbed in her apartment and thrown against the wall. She looked down and groaned.

Great. She thought.

She was alone. In a dark alley. In Gotham. Alone at night. in her Avocado Toast pajamas. 

“At least I have slippers on” She says to herself as she gets to her feet and makes her way out of the dark alley. After regaining her bearings she realize’s she was not too far from one of Jason’s safe houses. She made her way towards the apartment, praying nothing comes after her at this time.

Stella arrives in front of the building. But she notices something was, off. She couldn’t quite make out what it was, but she just has this gut feeling that things were different. She makes her way upstairs and as she gets to the safe house opening. She looks up and sees that there is no scanner outside the door. 

“Damnit Jay.” She mutters. He must’ve taken down the scanner and installed another form of security. Jason changed security systems like he changed clothes. He believed in upgrading at least once a month in case someone figured out how to hack his old one. It was annoying, because he would forget to tell her he made the changes and she would often be stuck outside one of his apartments without a way to get in. 

She made her way downstairs and asked the front desk to use their phone. She dialed Jason’s number in hopes of catching him before he went through an angry rampage through Gotham looking for her. The last time she forgot her phone, he nearly tore up the west side searching for her. 

The phone went straight to a dial tone. The words “this number is not in service” repeating over and over again. She tried again, and the same thing happened. 

“What the hell Jay.” She mutters as the man at the front desk stares at her questioningly. 

“Miss, can I help you?” He asks. She looks up and realizes she has never seen this man before. He looked old, like he’s seen some things. White hairs peaking out from his natural black hair. But it was weird that she didn’t recognize him. She’s been to this location many times before with Jason. Maybe the other guy was off today. 

She smiles politely. “Yes, I kinda got locked out of my place without my phone or wallet. Can you call me a cab to the Covington Tower downtown?”

He eyed her suspiciously. “You mean what used to be the Covington tower?”

“What do you mean used to?” Stella asks in a confused tone. 

“That tower hasn’t been around for years. Ever since Mr. Covington left Gotham.”

Stella looked at the man, confused. He must be one of the Gotham Crazies. She was just at the tower yesterday. 

“O-okay then.” She said sarcastically. “Then call me a cab to where the Covington Tower used to be.” She said, adding air quotes to the words ‘used to be’. She flashed him a flirty smile and winked. 

The man blushed and proceed to call her a cab. Stella smiled to herself. Men were easy.

————————

Gotham seemed, different. Not physically, it was still as dirty as ever, but the vibe was off. It was about 3:30am when the cab had finally arrived. Stella got in and the driver took off. He drove through some of the worst neighborhoods at this time of night, but there was no one on the streets. They were empty. No guys selling drugs, no girls trying to make some extra money, just empty. Sans the piles of garbage and the occasional homeless person. 

Maybe it was just that kind of night. The kind of night that brought Jason home early and uninjured. Stella thought nothing more of it as the scenery outside drifted far away and slowly became the more modernized downtown portion of Gotham. 

She could see her dads tower from where she was. Her eyes widened as she noticed the name on top of the building. Striker. 

“What the fuck.” She muttered out loud. 

“You okay back there?” Her driver asks. 

“What happened to the Covington tower?” She asks as they slowly neared the front of the building.

“Oh wow, I haven’t heard that name in years. Mr. Covington took the whole company and moved it to Singapore last I heard. After the incident.” Stella didn’t quite hear the last part as she tuned out the man after he said her dad moved the company to Singapore. 

The cab pulled to a stop in front of the building. And Stella got out in a trance. 

The front was completely different. Instead of clear glass doors that lead into the company waiting room, there were shops. Many small businesses lined the bottom of the building. A cafe, a nail salon, a fast food place. 

“What the hell is going on here.”

Stella walked around the block a few times. Everything was different. This was not how the building was when she was here yesterday. Where was her dads building? Where we’re the security guards that watched the front entrance. Where the hell was her penthouse?! She ran her fingers through her long blond hair and started pacing back and forth. In her panicked state she did not see the figure lurking in the alley behind her.

She stopped in front of the alley and took a few deep breaths. Suddenly a pair of arms flew out of the darkness, a hand covers her mouth, and she gets pulled into the alley. She is slammed against the wall, hands around her throat, her mouth still covered by a hand. She tries to scream but the man pushes her further into the wall.

“Whats a pretty little thing like you doing out here this time of night.” He breathed into her face.

Stella could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“I’m gonna have some fun with you.” The man says with a chuckle. 

She struggles against him, but the man was probably twice her size. He begins to tighten his grip on her throat. She struggles against his grip as tears flood her cheeks. She claws at his hand but it’s no use. The world around her starts to darken, but just as she is about to lose consciousness she hears a familiar voice.

“Back off chum.” 

The mans grip loosens and he lets go of her neck as something or someone, rams right into him. Stella falls to the floor, gripping her throat and gasping for air. There are sounds of a scuffle, then a thud. Stella was still trying to catch her breath when she noticed someone in front of her. She looked up at her savor and her eyes widened.

“Are you okay Miss?” Nightwing asked.


	3. Chapter 2: I’m dead?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella's tired and hurt. All she wants to do is go back to home and fall asleep in Jason's arms. But where is home?

NIghtwing helped Stella to her feet once she was able to catch her breath again. She leaned against the wall for support, still breathing heavily. She hadn’t been that terrified since the day Jason came to her rescue, all those years ago. 

Nightwing looked her up and down. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He noticed she was in her pajamas and nothing else. He thought nothing of it. Gotham citizens were a bit crazy at times. He looked down at Stella and waited until she was able to catch her breath. 

When Stella was finally able to breathe again she felt so relieved. She noticed Nightwing studying her, a puzzled look on his face. She tilted her head and finally spoke. 

“Thanks for that” She said, her voice still horse from the lack of air. 

“You look familiar. Have we met?” He asked.

Stella rolled her eyes. “Haha so funny Dick.”

Nightwing’s eyes widened under his mask. “What did you say?”

Stella was getting annoyed now. “I said so funny Dick. Never mind I don’t care. Jason’s phone is dead and I can’t reach him. Do you know where he is? And can you please tell me why my dad’s building changed overnight? I feel like I am having a bad dream over here.”

Something inside Dick’s head clicked. “Stella?!?” He screamed. 

Stella winces at his tone. “Uh yeah. What did you do hit your head or something? I saw you like last week at the manor.” She says in an annoyed tone. 

“Nightwing are you okay? I heard you scream.” A voice chimes in through Dick’s headset. Dick ignores his comms and focuses his attention back to Stella. He takes her in fully now. She looked exactly like Stella, only a little older. Her hair was a little longer than before and she definitely grew up, but it wasn’t possible. Stella was..

“Earth to Dick” Stella said snapping her fingers in front of Dick. That made him snap out of his trance. She crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. “Common pretty boy. Im cold, i’m in my pajamas, and I just want to go back home to Jason. So can you take me back or what?”

Suddenly, a motorcycle appears in front of the alleyway. A black figure takes off its hood and makes its way towards the both of them.

“Nightwing. You didn’t answer you comms. I traced your location. Are you okay?” A female voice rang out. She stepped out of the shadow to reveal Batgirl. Barbara Gordon to be exact.

Stella’s jaw dropped. “Barbara?!?! How are you? How did you?”. She says as she sees one of her best friends not only out of her wheelchair, but in her Batgirl suit. Suddenly, Stella gets dizzy, and the room starts to spin spinning as she backs up and leans against the wall. She collapses, but before she can hit the ground she is caught by a pair of arms. 

“Stella?! Stella?!” Were the last words she heard before it all went dark.

——-

Stella woke up to the sound of a group of people arguing quietly. But not that quietly as it was able to wake her up. She opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings. She recognized this place immediately even though she had only been down here a handful of times. She was in the Batcave. She sat up and turned her head towards the noise. 

Bruce, Dick, Barbara, and Damian were huddled by the bat computer arguing. 

“How can this be? I was there I saw the body. Hell, I went to the funeral.” Dick says in a loud whisper.

“Are we sure it’s her? Did she not have a twin sister?” Damian asks.

“It’s her. The blood sample proves it.” Bruce says looking at the screen in front of him. A picture of Stella as a teen was on the screen with the words MATCH under it. 

“But how..” Barbara asks.

Stella looks at them questioningly. She takes the blanket off her body, and tries to get off the bed she was on. But instead of quietly getting out of the bed, she knocks over one of the trays that was sitting on a small table besides her bed. A loud CLANK echos through the cave. All four heads turn to face her. She smiles a guilty smile at them. “Uhh I can clean that up. Sorry.”

Dick is the first one to rush over to her side. “Woah take it easy. Alfred said you have a minor concussion so I think you should stay seated. Try not to stand up just yet.” He motioned for her to sit back down and she did. Barbara was the next one to walk up to her.

“How do you feel?” She asked, her voice calm and gentle. 

Stella was still looking at her like she had seen a ghost. “Like I was hit by a train. Twice.” She remarked. Barbara looked at her sadly. She was still in her Batgirl suit. Same with Nightwing, Batman, and Damian, sans cowls and masks. 

Stella could feel the entire room staring at her. She rubbed her arms as she felt super nervous being watched by the entire Bat family. “But uh, I’m fine. Honest. And as much as I love it down here in the cave, I would love to call Jay and get back home soon. I have a presentation at 9am tomorrow that I really should be there for.” She says nervously. 

The Bat family just continues to look at her. After a few seconds of awkward silence Bruce finally breaks the silence.

“Stella.” He says calmly. “What year is it?” She looks at him, confused.

“Uhhh 2019?” She asks. 

“Interesting.” Bruce says calmly. Still studying her as he crosses his arms. “And how old are you?”

“23? Um what’s with the third degree? I’ve had a rough night, can someone just tell Jay to come get me?” She asked. She turns to Barbara and looks her up and down. “Speaking of questions. Barbara, how are you able to walk? What happened?” She asked in a surprised, and very confused voice. 

Barbara just looked at her confused. “I’ve always been able to walk?” She answers with a question. 

“Stella.” Bruce asked seriously. The whole mood in the room shifted. They were all looking at her once again. “What is the last thing you remember.”

————  
Stella tells them her entire story. About how she woke up on the floor of some street in Gotham. How she tried to go to one of Jason’s safe houses, but wasn’t able to get in. How she tried to call him, but the line was dead. And finally, how her dad’s building was no longer her dads building.

“Interesting.” Bruce says, before turning back to his computer to furiously type in some code. 

“What’s going on here?” She asks nervously. 

Batman stops typing for one second and pulls up a graph. “There was a disturbance in the reality chain tonight. I thought nothing of it, but that was before Dick and Barbara brought you in.”

Everyone looks at Bruce, confused. He zooms in on the graph and shows the exact time the disturbance happens. Stella looks at the time and it clicks. That was the exact time she heard the front door open and when she went to investigate the noise.

Batman crosses his arms once more. “I think you're from another dimension Stella.”

“What?!” Everyone screams at once. 

The door to the Batcave opens up as Alfred walks down the stairs with a tray of snacks. Sandwiches, cookies, and some tea. Though everyones attention was focused on Bruce at the moment.

“Iv’e had this happen before. A few league members and I had to travel into the future to stop something from happening to us in the past.” Bruce explains calmly.

“You never told me that.” Dick replies.

“You never asked.” Bruce smirks.

Stella shakes her head. “What do you mean I am from another dimension. How could that be?” She asks.

“Well usually it’s through a portal of some sort. Were you messing with one in your dimension?”

Stella looked shocked. “No. But I was attacked in my apartment. And it was by someone really stealthy because they set off the first alarm chain but we’re able to get past the rest of them.” She replied. She looked towards Barbara once more. That explains why she could walk. “Wait, if I’m in another dimension. Wouldn’t that mess up the continuum since there are technically two Stella’s in this dimension?”

They all exchanged nervous glances.

“What?” Stella askes.

“Well. No.” Dick answers, rubbing the back of his head. “Well. It’s weird. Your kinda..”

“Dead” Damian answers nonchalantly.

Stella’s eyes widen. “Dead? What do you mean dead? I’m right here.”

They exchange glances once again. Bruce turns to face his computer and begins working again. Dick, Barbara, and Damian pull up a seat next to Stellas bed.

“I think we have a lot of catching up to do.”

—————

“So you’re saying, that I was kidnapped by the Joker, and then he killed me?” Stella asked her head hurting from all the information she was just told. 

“Yeah, he had Jason too, but he was in another building. Bruce found where Joker was keeping Jason, but he was too late to find you. By the time they found where he was keeping you, the building had already exploded.”

Stella was silent. This sounded exactly like the events of Jasons death. Except, she was never involved. She found out after it was all over.

Stella sat quietly. Her face scrunched up in thought. “Are you saying Jason never dies in this universe? But I do?”

They all nod. 

“Okay. Then where is he? And where is Tim? Shouldn’t he be all over this? He’s always been obsessed with time travel.” 

Dick, Barbara, and Damian exchanged glances. Stella crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at them. “What are you guys not telling me?” 

“Its getting late. You should all go to bed now and talk about this in the morning.” Alfred says behind Stella, causing her to jump. She places a hand on her heart and takes a deep breath.

“Oh my god Alfred, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Alfreds right. You must be tired. Plus we wouldn’t want that injury of yours to get any worse. Let’s sleep on what we know so far.” Dick said, jumping out of his seat.

Damian just nods and Barbara smiles gently at Stella, following Dick as he makes his way up the stairs. Stella looks at the suspiciously. They were hiding something from her. They all seemed to jump at the mention of Jason. If he never died in this dimension, that means he would still be here right? But, where was he?

“Let me show you to your room, Ms Stella.” Alfred says, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Stella turns to face Alfred. She smiles at him politely. “Thank you Alfred.”

She follows him out of the cave and through the halls of the manor. Things looked exactly the same as the manor in her dimension. Even the photographs were the same. But how? Jason was alive, so he should’ve been in some of the pictures on the wall. But, he wasn’t. 

They stopped in front of a familiar bedroom; Jason’s old room. Alfred opens the door and gestures her inside. She takes a step in the room and notices it looks exactly the same as Jason’s old room. They didn’t stay in the manor much. But when they did, they had an assigned guest bedroom. So even in her dimension, Jason’s old bedroom was untouched. This room brought back so many memories of Stella and Jason spending their after school hours hanging out and making out on his bed. Back to simpler times.

“I thought you would be more comfortable in Master Jason’s old bedroom. Given the circumstances.” He says kindly, a bit of sadness in his voice.

“Alfred. Where is Jason? Well your dimension’s Jason?”

Alfred looks at Stella sadly. “We can discuss it in the morning. There is a fresh change of clothes on the dresser. Please let me know if I can be of your service. I will be in my room, but feel free to call me through the house phone.” He tells her and closes the door behind her, leaving Stella alone in the large bedroom. 

Stella thought nothing more of the situation. She picks up the clothes from the top of the drawer and slides them on. They fit perfectly. Probably some of Barbara’s old clothes. She jumps onto the large bed, and without even getting under the covers, she falls into a deep slumber.


	4. Chapter 3: Tim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Familiar faces start to show up, but things in this world seem different. Very different.

Stella woke up in a large bed with a slight headache, feeling slightly chilly. Naturally she rolled over to the other side of the bed with her eyes closed in search of Jason’s natural body heat. When she rolls over to find nothing but empty space, she opens her eyes to see she is not in her own bed. It all comes back to her as she remembers she’s not even in her own world. Getting out of bed, she walks around the room mindlessly. 

She pauses when she sees a line of photographs on top of the dresser. There were four total.

The first photograph was of Jason and Bruce, both dressed in their Batman and Robin gear. Jason looked much younger in this picture. His eyes held a familiar gleam of optimism. No fear, or anger. Just, hope.

The second photograph, was one of Jason, Stella, Bruce, Barbara, and Dick, at one of Bruce’s fancy galas. Stella remembers taking that picture. It was the first time she actually enjoyed attending a party. She and Jason snuck away soon after taking the picture. They took a bunch of finger food and a few glasses of champagne up onto the top of Wayne tower and spent all night stargazing. She smiled at the memory.

The third photograph was a picture of Jason’s mom. The only photograph he ever had of her. She frowned. She would never forget the day he told her he found his birth mother, and that he was finally going to get to meet her. That was the last conversation they had before he was killed.

The last photo was Stella’s favorite. She picked it up and ran her fingers gently across it. How Jason managed to take that picture was beyond her. It was a selfie of Jason and Stella swinging on a grappling line. Stella had her arms wrapped around Jason’s shoulder, an excited smile painted on her face. Her eyes full of adrenaline and just a little bit of fear, but the good kind of fear. Jason was wearing his Robin costume, with a large grin plastered on his face. They were both genuinely having a good time. No nightmares, no insomnia. Just two teens in love.

She hears hushed voices outside of her door. She gently places the photograph back on the dresser and makes her way toward the voices

“Are you sure it’s her?”

“We ran a DNA test.”

“But how?”

The voices stopped as they notice Stella’s door open, and her head slowly peak out from it. Her eyes widen at the sight in front of her. 

It was Dick, Tim, and Conner. Dick was already dressed and his hair was flawless, as usual. How that man woke up everyday and managed to look like a male model was beyond Stella’s comprehension. Next to him was Conner, clad in his black T-shirt and a pair of jeans, as usual. 

The thing that made her eyes widen, was Tim. 

Who was currently sitting in a wheelchair.

“Um hi. Sorry, did I interrupt?” She said nervously.

Conner looked her up and down. A scowl painting his face. Stella didn’t notice. She wasn’t exactly looking at him.

Dick rushed up to Stella. “No no, not at all. We were just heading into the dining room to have a late lunch. Care to join?” He asked.

“Sure.” Stella said nervously. “Um, give me 15? I want to take a quick shower.” 

Dick smiled and nodded. “Sounds good. See you in the dining room!” He quickly made his way back to Conner and Tim, who were still looking at Stella suspiciously. She slowly crept back into the room and closed the door behind her before leaning against the door, and sliding down to the floor.

“What is happening to me?” She asks herself quietly.

————

After taking a quick shower and changing into a pair of leggings and baggy t-shirt, Stella made her way into the dining room to find the entire family gathered around the table. Large plates of delicious looking foods were laid out in front of them.

Bruce sat at the head of the table, scrolling on his handheld tablet. Dick, who sat next to Bruce on his left, was currently stuffing his face with finger sandwiches while talking to Barbara with his mouth full. She was trying not to laugh at his foolishness, while taking small bites of her own food. Damian, who sat on Bruce’s right side, was carefully examining his food, as if to make sure if was not poisoned. Tim was seated next to him, which came as a surprise to Stella, seeing how they usually couldn’t bear being in the same room as each other. Conner was sitting next to him, carefully glancing at Tim from time to time, as if he was watching over him.

“Ah Miss Stella, right on time!” Alfred greeted with his usual preppy tone. “Please take a seat.”

Stella sheepishly made her way to the seat next to Barbara. She sat down and Barbara smiled at her softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Slight headache. But I’m not in my pajamas on the street anymore. So there’s that.” Stella says sheepishly. She grabs ladle full of fruit and places a cucumber sandwich on her plate. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until the smell of food triggered her stomach. She nibbled on her food as an awkward silence filled the room.

Stella glanced at Tim every once in a while. He was still in his wheelchair. It was, weird. She wanted to know why or better yet, how. But, she didn’t feel like it was an appropriate time to ask.

“Did you guys hear about what happened in Star City today?” Dick asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

They spent the next 20 minutes or so eating and chatting, everyone ignoring the elephant in the room. Conner kept sending small glares in Stella’s direction, and Stella couldn’t understand why. Back in their world, Conner and Stella had a pretty good relationship. She taught him a lot about earth customs and even introduced him to marine animals. The Conner in this world, seemed to dislike her for some reason. Even though she was supposedly dead or what not. 

After lunch, everyone separated and went off to their own business. Bruce assured Stella that they were looking into a way to get her back into her own world, but that it would take a while. He had called in some of his other worldly friends to do some digging, but many of them were off planet dealing with a situation in another galaxy. 

“Feel free to make yourself at home. If you need anything, ask Alfred.” He said to her before heading off down to the Batcave.

Dick and Barbara left to go attend to some “important” business and Damian was already off to the training room. She lost track of where Tim and Conner went as they left the dining room rather quickly. 

“Looks like it’s just you and I today Miss Stella. Is there anything you would like to do?” Alfred said with a smile. Alfred was finishing up some dishes in the sink as Stella sat at the counter with a cup of tea. 

“Nothing much Alfred. But can I ask you one question?” There was something bothering Stella and she just had to know.

“Certainly.”

“Why is Tim in a wheelchair? And where is Jason?” The cat was out of the bag now.

Without turning around Alfred remarked, “That is two questions.”

“Alfred…”

Alfred frowned. His back still facing Stella. “I don’t know if I am the best person to tell you.”

“Please Alfred.” She said frowning at him. Alfred turned to face her. Suddenly, he didn’t see the strange 23 year old girl in front of him. But the 16 year old who would come over after school with Jason every day. He missed Jason. Regardless of the things he has done, he would always be like a grandson to Alfred. He glanced at her face and saw just how frightened she really was. He sighed, unable to say no to the girl who once helped him cook Christmas dinner for the entire family.

“It was after a fight with Master Jason.” 

Stella gasped. “What do you mean?” Jason had his anger problems and he had always had problems with Tim being his replacement. But he would never go so far as to hurt Tim that way. 

Alfred paused, trying to find the right words. “It was…”

“It was when he threw me off a building.” Tim said. As he rolled in quietly. Stella and Alfred just stared at him. He made his way towards the table Stella was sitting on, and locked his wheelchair in place. “My fault really. I told him that he needed to get over your death.” He adds with a shrug.

He extends his hand and smiles at Stella. “Hi, I’m Tim. It’s nice to finally meet you.”


	5. Chapter 4: Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim spills the beans as Stella finally gets the answers she is looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am aware that Renegade was Dick's character. But I liked the name for Jason instead (:

Stella stared at Tim’s outstretched hand for a few seconds. 

She was confused at the gesture. What did he mean by nice to meet you? They have been friends for years. Just then, it hit her. If she really died when she was a teen in this world, she never would’ve met him.

She shakes her head, rubs the back of her head with her left hand and shakes his right hand with her other hand. “Stella! Sorry. I kinda forgot where I was for a second there.”

They shook hands for a few seconds and pulled apart. 

“Alfred. Do you mind if I steal Stella from you for a while?”

Alfred smiles down at Tim. “Of course not.” He nods in Stella’s direction. Stella smiles nervously. 

“That is, only if you want to.”

“Of course!” Stella was more than willing. Maybe Tim would finally tell her why everyone is avoiding her questions about Jason in this universe. She stepped behind Tim’s wheelchair and wheeled him towards what she knew was Tim’s favorite place in the manor.

Once they were settled deep inside the gardens of Wayne Manor, Stella took a seat on one of the many wicker chairs surrounding them. It was a nice sunny fall day. There was a chill to the air, but that just made the sun more welcoming. Stella and Tim both stared into the beautiful greenery around them for a few moments. The silence was welcomed. 

Stella was the first one to break the ice.

“So. You said Jason threw you off a building? Care to elaborate?” Stella asked curiously. Her elbows resting on her thighs and her chin resting on her hands. 

Tim chuckles. “Do you want the full story that leads up to that? Or just that part of the story.”

“What do you think?”

“Well I can’t give you the full story since I joined the team late. But I can tell the things I have heard. It all started when you died.”

Stella nods. It was still weird for her to hear that she was dead in this universe. She was dead and yet life goes on. The world continues to function without you. It was surreal. 

“Jason blamed Bruce. He kept repeating over and over again that he should have went for you first. It was already too late by then. And well, after the funeral, Jason sort of snapped. He left the manor one night and broke into Arkham.”

Stella listened intently, leaning closer to Tim. He went on.

“He took the Joker from his cell, and broke him out. Jason ripped the tracker in his arm off so that made it impossible to track him. It took them nearly 2 weeks to find him. By that time it was too late. Based on what they found it looked like Jason tortured him for a few days before leaving him to die, drowning in his own blood.”

Stella covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Jason hated the Joker, but she could never imagine him torturing Joker until he died. But then again, he had Stella to calm him down when he lost his temper. She wondered if he could really pull that off if she was the one who died that night. She thinks back to the day she tried to take her own life, how empty she felt without him.

Yeah, she could see Jason snapping the same way she almost did.

“He disappeared for a few years after that.” Tim continued. “That was when I joined. I only heard stories about what happened. I never even met him at that point. A year in we ran across a string of murders. Each as violent as the next. The only thing connecting them was the fact that they were all drug dealers. We didn’t put two and two together until one day we caught him, in the middle of killing Black Mask.”

Stella was silent. Her brain still trying to comprehend everything Tim has told her so far.

“He was wearing a black motorcycle type helmet. Called himself ‘Renegade’. It wasn’t until we caught a sample of his blood off Black Mask’s corpse that we realized it was him. The first time Dick and Bruce confronted him Dick ended up with a broken leg and Bruce nearly came home in pieces. Ever since then he’s just been sort of around. His latest victim was the Penguin.”

Stella gasped. “What?!” She asks.

Tim sighs. “Yeah. After that he sort of took over Gotham as one of the big crime lords. We tried to talk to him. One by one. But he wouldn’t listen. Well, when it was my turn he was furious. Called me ‘replacement’ before beating the shit out of me, and throwing me off a building. And well, here we are.” He says gesturing to his wheelchair. 

At this point Stella was at the edge of her seat. She wanted nothing more than to return to her own world. Hearing such stories about the man she loved, even in a different dimension, was heartbreaking. 

“The fall severed my lower nerves from my vertebra. I landed directly on the side of a trash can. The pain was excruciating, at first. But then everything went numb. Doctors are trying to find a cure, but I know better. I’ve actually gotten used to this by now. I kinda hated patrol anyways. I would much rather be on the computer supporting the team you know? Like a sort of watcher. Or…”

“Oracle.” Stella finished. 

Tim smiles, “Yeah. Thats a good codename actually. Might have to take that one from you.”

“Well it’s not mine to take. You see back in my world…” Stella goes on, telling Tim the details from her world.

The two talk for hours. Exchanging stories from their own world. Stella tells Tim her Jason’s story. How he died, came back to life, and went mad before finally settling down with the Bat family once more. She told him how the Tim in her world was currently donning the name ‘Red Robin’. How the Joker in her world took away Barbara’s ability to walk..

Tim listened intently. Taking in every story and noting every difference between their worlds. Little did they know, Bruce was also listening in from the Batcave, through a few bugs he had planted in the garden. 

By the time Stella was finishing her part of the story, Dick, Barbara, Damian, and even Alfred were gathered around the Bat computer. Barbara shivered at the Joker story, Dick pulled her into his arms.

“And that’s that. I was actually waiting for Jason to get back from patrol when I was sent here. By who and how I still don’t know. And believe me, even though my Jason seems a lot less violent than yours, there’s a running list of people who would love to get revenge on him.”

Stella lays back on the chair she was sitting in and sinks in. Closing her eyes, she slowly takes in everything Tim has just told her. So Jason did exist in this universe. He was just a psychotic murderer who was also a crime lord, but he also kills bad guys. Not to mention the fact that he has tried to murder each and every member of the family. Even Alfred apparently. 

Tim studied her. To him she seemed like just your average girl. He couldn’t believe that this was the girl Jason went on a murder rampage for. She seemed so, normal. Sweet even. How did Jason land a girl like her? What was their story?

Stella sits back up. “Wait. So now that I have the full story. Can you tell me why Conner seems to despise me? By the looks of it he never even met this worlds version of me.”

Tim rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, he blames Jason for what happened to me. I have told him over and over again that Jason’s not in his right mind, but he still wants to kill him. I guess to him, knowing that you were the reason Jason snapped, he blames you for what happened to me.”

Stella raises her eyebrows. “First off, I am not the same Stella in this world, though she does sound cool. Second, it’s not like I did it on purpose. And third, IM NOT EVEN FROM THIS WORLD! And it’s not like I wanted to die!” She screams as she crosses her arms in and angry puff. 

Tim smiles at her sheepishly. “I know. But he’s been extra protective of me ever since it happened.”

Stella wiggles her eyebrows at him. “Im guessing you two are dating in this universe too?” 

Tim blushes. “Yeah. Is the Tim in your world with Conner too?” He asks.

“Pftt. No. They both have the hots for each other. But they’re both too proud to admit anything. It will probably take a life changing moment for those two to get together. Like..”

“Like the accident that brought Conner and I together in this world.” Tim finishes.

Stella looks at Tim sadly. “I’m sorry.” She looks down at her feet.

Tim rolls his chair closer to where Stella was sitting. He places his arm gently on her shoulder. She looks up.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not any of our faults.”

“Except that stupid clown.” Stella mutters under her breath. 

Tim sighs. “Yeah.” He says as he turns to face someone. “Hey Alfred.”

Stella turns around to see Alfred approaching them. It was then she realized the sun had set, and it was already night time.

“Master Tim, Bruce is looking for you. Something has come up and they require your help.”


	6. Chapter 5: Trouble Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back home, Jason and friends meet with Batman to figure out what exactly happened to Stella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter one this time around.

“Let me try one more time.” Jason screamed and lunged forward, as Dick and Roy held him back.

They were all standing in the middle what looked like an abandoned warehouse, facing a man tied to a chair. The man was bloodied and bruised. All his wounds were fresh. The man smirked.

“Aw what’s the matter? Lose something Hoody? Or should I say someone?”

That statement pulled Jason over the top as he broke from the grasp of Dick and Roy. He ran straight towards the man, ready to go in for the kill. He managed to get in once punch, before Dick and Roy pulled him off the man.

“Red, you are not helping.” 

“We need him conscious and alive.”

“HE KNOWS WHERE SHE IS!” Jason screamed. 

The man spit out the blood that pooled in his mouth and began chuckling. “What. I sent her somewhere with familiar faces. She should be fine. Unless Gotham gets to her first.”

Jason lunged at the man again, but this time Roy and Dick were prepared. They managed to hold him back. It wasn’t easy, Roy was sure he would have some bruises in the morning.

“So this is the guy?” A voice behind them says. Three sets of footsteps echo in the empty space. Bruce, Tim, and Damian walk up to the three boys, all three dressed in their vigilante gear.

“Jason calm down.” Roy whispers in his best friends ears. “The sooner we question this guy the faster we can find her. And we will find her.” With that sentiment, Jason slowly starts to relax and finally stops fighting against them. Roy and Dick know better than to let him go. One taunt from this asshole and Jason will lose it again.

“Yeah.” Dick answers. “We have footage. But not much else.” He says as he hands Bruce his cellphone. The three of them gather around to watch the footage. It’s footage of Jason and Stella’s apartment. On the footage they could see Stella walking towards the door, the man in front of them appearing out of nowhere and grabbing her, knocking her unconscious, and opening a portal with some sort of device. He then proceeds to throw her inside the portal. Just moments after the portal closes, Red Hood jumps through the window and tackles the man to the floor. Bruce lowers the device, that was all he needed to see.

“Do you have the device he was holding the footage?” Bruce asks, carefully eyeing the man in front of him. He was wearing some kind of suit that made him look like a Tron character, with a hat to match. The suit was black with blue lines running through the body.

“Looks like some kind of invisibility suit. I’ve heard superman mention seeing them on a few crooks in Metropolis.” Tim says.

Dick lets go of Jason, who had calmed down by now, and hands Bruce the device in the footage, except it was broken and in many pieces.

“It broke during their fight.” Dick says sheepishly. 

“I’m going to kill him.” Jason says. “The minute we find her and I know she’s safe you’re a dead man you hear!” Jason screams at the man. 

“If you find her.” He taunts.

That was the last straw. Jason launched forward at the man and knocked him onto the the floor with one punch. And just like that he was out.

Bruce rubs the front of his head. “Red….” 

“HE STARTED IT!”

Bruce takes a look at the broken device and studies it. “Ive seen technology like this before. It’s a modified boom tube.” Bruce turns and walks towards the exit. “I know someone who can fix this.”

“Im coming with you.” Jason screams and starts to follow Bruce out the door.

“No. We don’t need another one of your temper tantrums. Nightwing, Red Arrow, watch over him. Make sure he does’t kill anyone on his way home. I’ll call you guys when I figure things out.”

“There is no way I’m going home and waiting. Stella could be in danger for all we know. He could’ve sent her to space without a helmet. She could be dying!” Jason screams and runs full speed at Bruce.

Bruce turns around and shoots a small needle like object at Jason. It hits him in the neck, and he goes down like a pile of bricks.

Dick and Roy exchange glances.

“Take him home. Tie him down if you want. Just keep him calm. We’ll figure this out.” Bruce replies calmly. Damian follows him out the door.

Dick, Roy, and Tim look down at Jason’s unconscious body. 

“I’ll grab his arms.” Dick says with a sigh.

“I’ll get his legs.” Tim answers.

“And I’ll supervise!” Roy states. Tim and Dick glare at him. It was going to be a long night.


	7. Chapter 6: Trigger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella finally sees the truth.

Stella follows Tim down into the Batcave. The rest of the Bat crew was already suited up in the cave. Dick and Barbara wave at Stella when they see her. Stella offers them a small smile. 

“We have a special one tonight.” Bruce announces. All the heads in the room turn to him as he starts briefing the team. Tim rolls his wheel chair in front of the Bat computer and starts to type furiously. Stella makes her way next to him. Looking at the large screen in front of them. 

“You don’t have to be down here for this. You should go upstairs and have some cookies with Alfred.” He says to her.

Stella shook her head. “No, I’m too anxious to eat. Plus, it’s kind of my job to keep Oracle company back in my world.” She offers Tim a small smile. He reciprocates it and nods.

“Okay. Grab a chair.”

——————

The first half of the night was uneventful. The team went out on a recon mission to gather information on a large drug ring. Stella was actually starting to get bored. She was starting to fall asleep when Dicks comm buzzed loudly.

“B we got a situation. He’s here.”

That got Stella’s attention as she sat up in her chair and focused her attention on Nightwing’s camera. It was dark where he was, hidden up on some roof beams. He was looking down on a group of men who were surrounding a large shipment of drugs. They all looked like regular henchman. But just then, a large figure stepped out of the shadows. 

It was obvious he was not a henchman. For one, he was wearing a really nice suit. He had black hair and even though he was wearing a suit, it was clear he was built like a wall. Even through the lense of the small camera, Stella knew exactly who it was.

Tim looks up at her, worry in his eyes.

Stella pulls back covering her mouth. “Jason.”

“Can you guys hurry it up. I haven’t got all day.” Jason yells at the men around him. 

The men run towards the bags of drugs and start loading them onto the back of a truck. 

“What do I do B?” Nightwing asks quietly through his comm.

“Just stay there Nightwing. Don’t do anything to alert him.” Batman answers. “This is just recon. Be careful.” 

Dick stays in his spot, hidden from all the men. Each second felt longer than the last. 

Stella stepped closer to the Bat computer,

“Can you zoom in on him?” Stella asks. Tim obliges.

Stella takes him in. He looked, more or less, the same as her Jason. He was wearing a tailored black suit, a red dress shirt, and a coat was draped around his shoulders. Instead of his usual domino mask or red hood, he was wearing a red mask over his mouth and nose. His messy black hair was the same, except he didn’t have the white streak that ran through his bangs. He couldn’t have. Jason got the white streak after his dip in the Lazarus pit. Since this Jason never died, he wouldn’t have gone through that.

They watched the scene unfold in front of them. Jason’s men were nearing the final few bags, when one of his henchman tripped, and dropped the bag he was holding. The product fell to the floor.

“Shit, Shit!” The man mutters while scrambling to pick up the bag. What the man didn’t notice, was Jason slowly making his way over to him.

While the man was distracted, Jason pulled a gun from his holster, aimed it at the mans head, and fired.

Stella turned away before she could see anything. It was obvious what he was going to do. She couldn’t bare to look back at the screen. Blood was never really her thing. A wound here and there she could do. But seeing the aftermath of a persons skull blown up is another thing. She walked away from the computer and leaned against a wall, her hand clutching her stomach.

She did’t want to believe it was true. But there it was. The Jason in this world was a ruthless killer. He didn’t even hesitate to kill that man. Over a tiny mistake. A mistake anyone could have made. Who knows what he did to people who went against his will. 

Tim looked at Stella sadly. This was probably not what she wanted to see. Especially after what she told him about her Jason. How he never killed in front of her. How he stopped killing because of her. 

“I-I’m going upstairs.” She stuttered, making her way up the long flight of stairs. 

“Okay” Tim said quietly, as he brought his attention back to the screen.

Stella made her way through the living room, arms crossed and tightly clutching her arms. She didn’t want to be here anymore. She wanted to go home. Home, to where her dad was just a few minutes drive downtime. Home, where she had a family. Home, to Jason. 

She ran past a worried Alfred and pushed open the front door, slamming it closed behind her. She was hysterical by now. Running as fast as she could down the driveway of Wayne manor. Down the dark and quiet woods surrounding the house. When she finally made it down to a more populated part of town, she spotted a Taxi and waved her hands in its direction. She remembered putting some cash in her pocket this morning, something Alfred handed her before lunch. 

“You might need this” He said to her. How he knew, she didn’t know. He was always prepared.

She got in the cab and they headed off to the only place that would calm her down.

———————————

“What do you mean she took off?!” Dick asked, more like screamed. Tim and Alfred shared a look. 

“I thought she just needed some fresh air.” Tim answered. Alfred stayed silent. 

“You mean she ran off after seeing Jason kill a man for making a simple mistake.” Dick was pacing around the Batcave, still clad in his Nightwing gear. He felt sort of responsible for her. He remembered those times he had with Stella. She was amazing, and a godsend to Jason. Without her Jason would have probably ended up on the wrong side of the law, even with Bruce’s help. She kept him steady. She was family to him.

“Everyone, split up. She couldn’t have gone too far.”


	8. Chapter 7: Damian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian never understood how losing someone could change a person so much. Death is inevitable. So what is it about this girl that made Renegade go crazy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much time. So much writing. Enjoy!

The sun was slowly beginning to rise above the horizon as dawn was passing. 

Damian was watching the sun rise on the roof of a large building. They had been searching for about two hours now. Still nothing. Where the foolish girl ran off too was beyond him. Just then, Damian sees a flash of gold on the roof of the building near his.

“Found her.”

Stella was on the roof of the Wayne Tech building. It was the place Jason first took her when he revealed his secret identity. It was where he asked her to be his girlfriend. It was their special place. They spent many nights there together. Jason would meet her there after patrol with a cheeseburger and his favorite chocolate milkshake. It was usually the highlight of his night.

She leaned on the side of the glass panel of the wall that was there to stop people from falling off the roof. She had her face in her hand as the wind blew through her hair. Dry tear stains were visible on her soft pink cheeks. Her eyes were red from crying. 

What if she was stuck here forever? What if she could never get back to her own world? What if she would never see her dad again? What if she never saw Jason again?

She sighed and closed her eyes. She jumped when she heard a voice behind her.

“There you are.” Damian said, with annoyance. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Dami.” Stella said, without turning to face him.

Damian looked confused. No one ever called him that.

“That’s not my name.” He replied. She ignored the comment.

“What did you do when you found out your mom was actually the bad guy?”

Damian scrunched up his face. “What do you mean?”

“How did you deal with the fact that your mom was not a part of the good fight? You know, how did you handle being the son of an evil woman hell bent on destroying Gotham.”

Damian slowly walked towards her. He rested his arms along the glass pane.

“I confronted her at first, but if you know my mother she doesn’t like small talk. So, we fought. Well, father and I fought her. She hasn’t changed her mind on the matter and well you see, we don’t talk.”

“Do you think if you tried again, talking to her that is, she will change her mind? After you show her all the good you have done for Gotham.”

Damian thought about it for a while before answering. “I don’t know.”

Stella continued to watch the sunrise. Not once turning to face Damian. 

“Do you think your Jason can change, like mine did?” She asked curiously.

“Not in the slightest. You saw what he did to Drake. He tried to kill me once before as well.” 

Stella frowned. “Technically he tried to kill Tim in my world too and you and him are still at war with each other. You actually tried to set him on fire once during thanksgiving dinner.”

Damian chuckled. Stella smiled at that.

“People can change. Jason did." 

Damian raised his eyebrow at that phrase. 

To be quite frank, he never really thought much about Jason. He just knew him as Renegade, the irrational psychopath who killed without hesitation. He had heard stories about Jason yes. Mostly good ones from Alfred. But he never understood how your could let someones death take over your life like that. 

He never once actually spoke to Todd. They were always fighting on opposites sides. They fought multiple times yes, but have a conversation? Never.

“What if, I talked to him. Gave him reasons to stop doing what he’s doing. It might take a while, but he can change. It worked with my Jason.”

Damian stared at her with interest. Stellas eyes were still fixated in front of her. As if she was looking at something he couldn’t see. Damian didn’t say anything further. He couldn’t understand how talking could change someone. It was always physical battles for him. Winner take all. Talk was cheap.

“We should get back. The others are worried about you. Especially Grayson.” Damian said turning around and head towards the door to enter the building. Stella let out a sigh, and turns to follow him.

———————

Dick engulfs Stella in a hug as soon as she is back at the manor.

“Don’t ever do that again!” Dick scolds, as if Stella was a child. She looks up at him sheepishly and frowns. He tries to look though, but his facade shatters as he notices her red eyes and the dried tear stains on her cheeks. He takes her into his arms again.

“Im sorry. I know this is hard. But we’ll get you back. I promise.” With that, Stella’s tears start up once more.

Stella spends the next hour or so crying silently. She is seated in a loveseat couch in the living room with a blanket wrapped around her. Damian’s dog, Titus, took to wrapping himself around her, as if trying to protect her. Like he knew she needed him.

The entire family was in the living room. The television was on broadcasting some sort of crime on TV. Dick and Barbara sat next to each other, each on their phone, occasionally whispering things to one another. Tim was on his laptop typing away, while Bruce was looking at what looked like stocks on his tablet. Damian was on the floor, doing some sort of puzzle. Alfred had laid out some milk and cookies out on the table, but they remained untouched.

Bruce is the first to go, muttering something about having a meeting to attend.

Dick and Barbara are next, followed by Tim and Alfred. Stella remains in her love seat, staring mindlessly at the television in front of her.

Damian is the last to leave. He gets up and starts to leave the room, but pauses at the doorway. He turns and speaks.

“You know. If my mother actually bothered to listen to reason, I bet she would see things a little differently. But we haven’t been in the same room for longer than 2 minutes without trying to kill each other.”

Stella turns to look at him.

“As much as I like using my fists to solve my problems. Words do have their ways.” She smiles softly at him.

“Get some sleep.” He says to her softly and walks off to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments! Please let me know what you think so far (:


	9. Chapter 8: Passing Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella slowly gets used to living in this universe. Maybe things here aren't that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short time killer chapter. Things will start to pick up soon I promise (:

Stella spends the next few days wandering around the manor, looking for ways to entertain herself.

The morning after she “ran away” Alfred handed her a cellphone (with everyones number already inside), a credit card (for emergencies), and a laptop (to help her pass the time).

Stella would spend most of her time with Tim. He worked from home mostly, occasionally going in for meetings or press conferences. They had gotten really close. She was never really close to Tim back in her world. She had Dick or Barbara to talk to when things came up. But the Tim here was, different. 

He actually confessed that he would rather be working behind the senes than on the field. He didn’t miss being Robin. He loved being behind the Bat computer. He was able to solve crimes behind the screen. He no longer needed to be on the field. No longer needed to talk to victims, or criminals. He just had his data and everything he needed to solve crimes was right in front of him. He loved it.

Stella would spend her nights sitting next to him at the Bat computer. Watching the family on patrol at night. She loved seeing Barbara on patrol again. The sound of her laughter as she moved from roof top to roof top never got old. And knowing Tim was actually okay with being in command at home base made her feel less guilty about what Jason did to him.

It was a Thursday at 11am in the morning. Everyone was either at work, or at school. Stella was in the kitchen nursing a cup of tea and eating a cookie, while Alfred was busy cleaning up. She was on her phone, reading articles about this universes Gotham. 

“Miss Stella. Would you like to join me on my trip into town today?” Alfred asks, once he is done cleaning.

Stella beams. “Of course Alfred! I would love to go.”

Alfred smiles at her, “I believe you shall be needing some new clothes. I’m afraid we just don’t have that many women’s clothing lying around.” Stella looked down at her wardrobe. She was currently just wearing an oversized T, and a pair of black tights. She had been wearing some of the boys smaller clothes and some clothes Barbara brought over. It wasn’t like she had anywhere to go, she she just wore the same few things every day.

“Meet me in the front in about 5 minutes. I’ll pull up the car.” Alfred says before he walks off towards his bedroom.

Stella makes her way towards the front door, puts on her shoes, and by the time she was done, Alfred was already there. 

——————

Gotham city was always hit or miss. You could be driving down a street filled with beautiful high end fashion stores full of life, and the next street down would be covered in litter surrounded by abandoned warehouses.

Stella and Alfred were in the nicer part of Gotham. He needed to pick up a few things for Bruce as it turns out he was hosting another one of his fancy Gala’s in a few weeks. They were currently in the men’s section of a large department store waiting for a clerk to bring out the suit Alfred had put on hold.

Stella hated Gala’s, just as much as she hated the annual Gotham Ball. Her dad would always make her go. She would be often surrounded by a bunch of rich dudes trying to get into her pants. She would much rather be home alone curled up on her sofa with a good book. 

It wasn’t until she met Jason, that she actually started enjoying those social affairs. They would always show up late and leave early. As long as they showed up and took some pictures for the press, Bruce and her dad never cared. Stella and Jason would sneak away and spend the rest of the night in their fancy attire up on the roof of Wayne corp, dancing to the sounds music on Jason’s phone. Then they would hit up the 24 hour diner down the street and share a milkshake. 

Stella looked down sadly. She really missed her own world. She had already been in this new world for a week now. Bruce was nowhere near finding her a way home. She didn’t even know if she would ever go back. She quickly wiped away a tear that had started to form. Alfred noticed this little gesture. 

“Miss Stella, if you want to head next door to the women’s department and pick out a few things please do. I’m afraid I have to pick out a few more things before I am done. You have the credit card now so please do not hesitate to pick out things you like.” Alfred said.

Stella smiled at him and nodded. “Okay Alfred. I’ll keep my phone volume on so call me when you’re done and I’ll come find you.” She walked up to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before making her way towards the women’s department stores. In her haste to hide her red eyes, she missed Alfred wiping a tear from his eyes.

———————  
Stella stepped out of the mens section and made her way towards the women’s department. Shopping would definitely help her keep her mind off things. She beelined towards her favorite store, smiling a real smile for the first time in days. 

What she didn’t notice were a pair of eyes watching her from a distance. Jason did a double take when he saw her. “I thought I just….” He mutters, but shakes his head as he watches her disappear behind a rack of coats. “It couldn’t be.” He pulls out his cellphone. The lock screen was a picture of him and Stella, back when they were in Gotham prep. It was the day she said yes to being his girlfriend. He dials a number and brings the phone to his face.

“Tonight. At the lounge.” He says as he walks off into the opposite direction.

—————

Back home, Stella drops at least 8 shopping bags onto the ground and throws herself into the couch adjacent to where Tim is currently sitting. He has a cup of coffee in hand and smiles at her. 

“Have fun?” He says.

“I haven’t been shopping in so long. Jason always hated shopping with me. Says I take too long.” She complains. She starts to take out the items she purchased and began showing them to Tim. 

From the back of the room, Dick watches Stella take out shirt after shirt, followed by a few coats and some boots. She seemed like she was adjusting a bit more. His heart ached every time he saw her frown. He really missed the days where Stella, Jason, and him would go out for Sunday brunch. It took a lot of convincing at first, but eventually they made it a tradition. First Sunday of every month.

Dick helps Stella carry her new clothes into her/Jason’s old room. Alfred set up a new room for her, but she refused. She was so used to being in Jason’s room already. It was the only thing that felt, familiar, in this world. 

She put away her clothes and made her way downstairs for dinner. In the hallway she trailed behind Dick and Barbara who were currently hand in hand, sharing a kiss. Stella smiled at them. They were her inspiration couple. Through all the ups and downs of their lives, Dick and Barbara seemed to be one of those things that always felt right.

Barbara pulled away from Dick and slowed down to let Stella catch up. Barbara stopped and put her arms around Stella and pulled her in for a hug.

“Heard you scored big at the mall today. Going to finally return my spare clothes?” She joked. 

Stella laughed and nodded. “I got enough to last me a while. I got something for you too! I knew you had to have it. We can go get it after dinner.”

“You were always the fashionista.” Barbara and Stella giggled. Stella smiled. It was nice to see her best friend out of her wheelchair. She seemed a bit different than her Barbara. A little less on edge. But she knew why. Joker was dead in this world. This Barbara never gets shot by that monster. The fear she carried around did not exist. Maybe he was better off dead than alive in Arkham.

The rest of the family trailed in behind them. Alfred somehow managed to cook a delicious meal for the entire family in mer hours. Stella looked around the table. Everyone seemed happy, and at peace. It wasn’t weird, because that’s how they were back home too. It was just different, but the nice kind of different. She grabbed a roll from the basket and took a bite. Alfred’s cooking tasted amazing in any dimension.


	10. Chapter 9: Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason is in town. Stella knows what she has to do.

Stella was slowly getting used to living in this new dimension. Bruce promised he was in constant contact with someone from the league that was trying to figure out which dimension she was from in order to get her back to the right place. So far they had told him that they have about 4 million possible dimensions. But, they did promise that this was their top priority. They also mentioned that Stella could be here for a while.

It was a quiet night in the cave. No one seemed to be talking to each other. Even Dick was quiet. They kept exchanging nervous glances. The time spent in the cave before patrol was usually when the cave was at its liveliest. Stella started to become suspicious.

Patrol started off slow. A few muggings here and there, but nothing crazy. Stella was on her computer, reading the news to see if there were any breaking stories at the moment. One article caught her eye.

“Hundreds gather at the notorious Iceberg Lounge for party tonight.”

Stella quickly opened the article and read through it. The article stated that a bunch of “important” people would be there tonight. That was Gotham talk for drug lords and gang leaders. Stella stopped reading when she read the line. “Its owner, Jason Todd, will be in attendance as well, the first time in a while. Mr. Todd has been a bit of a recluse in recent years.” Jason was going to be at the Iceberg Lounge tonight. 

Stella glanced at Tim, who was focused on the screens in front of him. She stared down at her phone and started typing in directions to the Iceberg Lounge. 20 Minutes away. She thought about what Damian told her that night. She knew what she had to do.

She slowly gets up from her seat and heads towards the back of the cave. Tim doesn’t seem to notice. She walks up stairs and heads to her room. She opens her closet and picks out one of the dresses she bought on her trip with Alfred and put it on. It was a plain black skin tight mini dress. She then puts on a large sweater and a pair of sweats over the dress. Under the bed, she pulls out a backpack. She shoves in a pair of black heels, swings the backpack over her shoulder, and heads back down to the cave.

She makes her way to where Bruce kept their vehicles. When she turns on the lights, dozens of vehicles became visible. She walked quietly through the rows of vehicles. One thing caught her eye. There was something hidden under a tarp in the back corner of the room. She lifts the tarp off and dust flies everywhere. She fans the dust away from her face letting out a quiet cough.

Under the tarp, was a deep red motorcycle. The yellow R symbol painted on the side. She recognized the bike immediately. It was Jason’s. She traced the engraved initials embedded on top of the speedometer, JPT. 

Jason would take her on his bike after patrol. They always ended up at the shores of Gotham beach, or on the mountains of Miracle hill. Stella remembered those moments like it was yesterday. Those were the days where they thought they were invincible. Jason was Robin, a superhero. He could do anything. And together, they were invincible.

She looked around the room for a helmet and spotted a few hanging on the wall. She grabbed a black one, put it on, and jumped on the bike. It turned on with ease. Jason taught her how to ride a few years back. She would much rather ride on the back of his bike, but there were times where they went riding together. It was such an indescribable rush. She revved the engine a few times, pressed the button on the side that she knew would open the Bat cave doors and drove off.  
———————-

Stella arrived in record time. She parked her bike about a block West from the lounge itself. The place would be surrounded by press and people dressed to the nines. She would stick out like a sore thumb. She hid the bike behind a few pieces of cardboard. 

Jason would have an aneurism if he knew she was alone at night in Gotham. But, Jason wasn’t here right now. She had one goal tonight: to get into the Party and get “Renegade” alone with her so they could talk. She had already accepted the fact that she might never go home. The least she could do was help the Jason of this world.

She takes off her sweater and sweats and places them into her backpack, pulling out the heels that were inside to make room for the clothes. She places the backpack on the floor near the bike, puts on the heels, and makes her way to the party. 

Getting in was a breeze. She was wearing a brand named dress and luckily for her, she had actually put on a little makeup today. That was all she needed to walk in and blend in like she belonged there.

The lounge was full of people. She recognized a few faces here and there, mostly mob bosses she saw on the news every once in a while. She made her way towards the drinks table, and orders a champagne. Might as well have some fun.

As she stands at the bar, keeping a lookout for Jason, she is approached by many men. 

“Sorry boys, I’m waiting for my date.” She says to all of them. “Common, let me buy you another.” A very persistent man says to her. But before she could tell him to get lost, the attention of everyone in the room is brought to the door.

A loud roaring sound caught her attention. A red motorcycle pulls up in front of the crowd. A tall, well muscled man, steps off with his red helmet still on. When he takes it off, Stella’s heart skips a beat.

“Jason.” She mutters. 

Jason was dressed in a perfectly fitted black tux. A red dress shirt was neatly tucked behind a dark gray vest. His hair was perfectly slicked back and his face was surprisingly devoid of scars.

“Well that’s my cue. Maybe next time.” She says to the man, before pushing her way through the crowd to get closer to Jason. 

Her plan was to wait until he left the party and follow him. Jason was always a loner, so she knew he would head back to wherever he lived alone. She also knew Jason hated parties, so he would be out and about within the hour. She tried her best to keep herself hidden from his view.

About an hour in Stella made her way towards the bathroom. She knew the men who were hitting on her wouldn’t follow her in there. They were awfully touchy tonight. She walked past one of the empty rooms on her way to the restroom, when she felt a hand grab` her shoulder. She turned around and tried to cry out. But before she could, a hand covered her mouth.

“Woah its okay. It’s just me.” Barbara said in a loud whisper. 

Stella calmed down as Barbara let her go. She was dressed in a long dark blue dress, her makeup was lightly done, and she was wearing what looked like sneakers under her dress.

“Want to tell me exactly what you are doing here?” She asked questionably, raising her eyebrows at Stella and crossing her arms.

Stella rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Uh, I just wanted to get out of the house and attend a party?” She laughed nervously. 

Barbara frowned at her. “Common.” Barbara said as she grabbed Stella’s wrist and started to walk towards the exit. “B is pissed.” Stella frowned sadly and followed her out the door.

————————

Jason hated these gatherings. But he needed to host them as a way to bring his generals together peacefully. He didn’t plan on coming. He was just going to have a video call tonight, but something in him told him that he should be present for tonights event.

He was talking to the boring girlfriend of one of his generals, when he noticed a blonde head bobbing in the crowd. She was being lead away by a red headed woman. The girl turned her head and he could of swore she looked familiar. He pulled himself from the conversation and started following the pair of girls out the door.

By the time he got to the entrance, they were gone. Jason’s heart was beating at a million times a second. He couldn’t explain why he felt this way. He hadn’t felt like this in years. Since Stella.

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. He pulled out a cigarette and took a few drags before dropping it onto the floor. He made his way back into his party, still thinking about the familiar blonde woman and the weird butterflies in his stomach.


	11. Chapter 10: Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella pays a visit to her mom. Unbeknownst to her, someone else had the same idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are picking up! :D

Stella had never been on the bad side of Batman before. Hell she never even pissed off Bruce before. But actually facing an angry Batman had to have been the scariest thing she has ever lived through.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” He screamed. Stella winced at his tone. Yeah, angry Batman was scary.

“I knew what I was doing. I just wanted to talk to him.”

He towered over her. Still clad in his Batman suit, he continued. “This is still Gotham. Nothing has changed. You could have been hurt, or worse killed!” He yelled. “You don’t know him Stella. He could kill you without hesitation. This isn’t your world.”

Stella merely looked down at her shoes and rubbed her left arm. 

“But..”

“Do not do anything that stupid again.” He said with a dramatic turn and a swish of his cape, he walked away from her and went towards the others. 

Stella could feel tears prick the sides of her eyes. Not only was she stuck in a universe that wasn’t hers. She was essentially being treated like a child here. She wasn’t allowed outside without supervision and she couldn’t live her own life. She held the necklace around her neck and ran up the stairs, tears freely falling down now.

She ran past a concerned Alfred, and slammed the door to her room.

—————————  
Stella didn’t leave her room for a few days. A concerned Tim tried to get her to come out, but to no avail. Dick and Barbara tried a few times as well, she never answered the door. Alfred would bring her her a few trays of food every once in a while, knocking to announce his presence and leaving the tray in a cart by the door, but they would remain untouched. 

One day he noticed a cookie was missing off one of the plates. He tries the door, and it was unlocked.

He taps the door gently. 

“Come in.” A quiet voice answers.

“Ms. Stella, are you okay?” He asked softly as he opens the door. Stella was sitting outside on the balcony. The balcony overlooked the plush Wayne garden. The flowers were scarce since it was the fall and almost wintertime. Oranges leaves covered the floors near the large trees surrounding the estate.

He made his way over to where she was sitting. She looked up and gave him a small smile.

“Thanks for the cookies Alfred.” She said in a loud whisper. 

Her eyes were red and puffy, it was clear she had been crying. That broke his heart. 

“Can I help you with anything?” He asks softly.

She shook her head. But then stopped. “Actually, can you drop me off somewhere tomorrow before you take Damian to school? Theres something I need to do.”

He smiles at her. “Of course.”  
—————————  
Stella made her way through the familiar graveyard. She was holding a bouquet of flowers she had picked from the Wayne garden earlier that day. It was a place she frequented when she was a kid. Alfred had dropped her off, promising he would be back within the hour. She walked deep into the graveyard until she reached a small gate. She pushed it opened and walked inside the gated plot of land.

The Covington grave site had been around for a number of years. It was surrounded by a large store wall with a gated opening. The graves were surrounded by large rose bushes. Since it was fall, the roses were not in bloom. But during the spring time, it was beautiful. It didn’t feel as if you were standing in the middle of a graveyard. 

She walked past her great great great grandfathers graves, until she finally reached the one she was here for. 

She noticed there was a grave that was never there before. She frowned when she read the name on the grave, Stella R. Covington. She ignored this grim reminder that she was truly dead in this world, and placed the bouquet of flowers next to the headstone that read:

Katarina L. Covington. Mother, Wife, Sister.

“Hi mom.” Stella said quietly.

———————————

Jason turns off his motorcycle and takes off his hood. He is sporting a black leather jacket with a gray t shirt and some dark gray jeans. His hair is messy from wearing the helmet. He runs a hand through his hair to try and tame it. He gets off the bike and pulls out a bouquet of blood red roses from under his seat. 

Red roses were Stella’s favorite flower. 

Jason visited her grave every day after the funeral. He would come to this graveyard with Stella when she was a teen to visit her mom. He never thought that he would one day come to visit her. 

He made his way into the graveyard. The Covington’s private plot was pretty much all the way inside the large park. He was about to open the gate, when he heard a soft voice speaking. Jason backed away from the gate.

Weird. He thought. No one ever visited. Not since Mr. Covington moved away. 

He made his way towards one of the shorter walls surrounding the graves, and hoisted himself up a little so he could see over it. His eyes widened at the sight. It was the same blonde girl from a few nights ago at his party. He could only see the back of her head, but he knew in his gut it was her. She was sitting on the floor in front of Mrs. Covington’s grave. He could hear her quietly crying and speaking to the grave in front of her.

“I-I don’t know what to do anymore mom. I-I just want to go home.” There was a small moment of silence. Quiet sobs echoed through the empty grave. Just then, a cell phone goes off.

The girl wipes her eyes with her hand, clears her voice, and answers the phone.

“Hey Alfred. I’ll be out in a sec.” She puts the phone into her purse, and gets up. She turns around and Jason can see her face clearly this time. She looks a little older, but he knew exactly who was standing in front of him.

“Stella?” He whispers.

Stella turns to the sound of his voice. He ducks before she can see him. She shrugs it off and makes her way out of the graveyard. Jason sits on the floor with his back to the wall.

But how? He looked down at the bouquet of roses he was holding. Stella was dead. She’s been dead for years. He held her lifeless body in his arms.

He quickly follows her out of the graveyard. At the entrance, he sees a familiar black car pull up, and a very familiar man step out of the car, Alfred. Jason hides behind a tree and watches the exchange from a distance.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah Alfred. Thanks for bringing me here.” She smiles at him.

“My pleasure Ms. Stella.” He says as he opens the door for her to get in. She gets in the car as Alfred closes the door behind her. He gets into the drivers seat and they drive off.

Jason steps out from behind the tree, stunned. He drops the bouquet onto the floor and runs to his bike. Stella was alive. But how? He had to find out exactly what was going on. He revved his bike and started to follow the black car back to the manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments appreciated. They are like payment for writers 😬


	12. Chapter 11: Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella was getting used to living in this universe. Things were peaceful. But peace never lasts.

“It’s been weeks!” Jason screams.

Jason, Tim, Dick, Bruce, Barbara, and Damian were all inside the Batcave. Tim was sitting at the meeting table staring at a blueprint of a building, a hot cup of coffee in his hands. Dick was doing pull ups on his dual gymnastic rings, while Barbara was on the other side of the training room doing sit ups. Damian was practicing his aim towards the back of the cave. Alfred was walking around with a feather duster, looking for things to clean.

He huffed, frowned, and crossed his arms in anger when he noticed no one was paying attention to his rant.

Jason was living in the manor with the others. Ever since Stella disappeared, he couldn’t bare to go back to his empty apartment. After he woke up from whatever Bruce drugged him with, Alfred offered him his old room at the manor and he didn’t hesitate to move in. 

He looked like hell. His hair was undone, sticking out in various places. He had large bags under his eyes from many sleepless nights. He wasn’t eating, he wasn’t drinking. He spent the first 3 days breaking things around the house. After a stern talking to from Alfred, he focused all his energy into training, determined to get Stella back one way or another. He survived on supplement bars and shakes, only eating real food when Alfred deemed it “necessary for living”.

Bruce was sitting in front of the Bat computer starting intently at the screen. On the screen was Martian Manhunter, the Flash, and Zatanna. 

“Give us a few more weeks. We are very close to narrowing it down. We are pretty sure we know which dimension she is in, but we want to be sure.” Zatanna said confidently.

“weeks ?! What if she’s in danger? Can’t you just starting sending me into the ones you think she’s in and have me look? I am sick of waiting around!” Jason screams at the computer.

Bruce interrupts his rant. “Let us know when you find the right one.” He says as he hangs up the call. Jason stares at Bruce with murder eyes.

Alfred, sensing conflict, steps in front of Bruce. “Master Jason, can you please help me with something upstairs?” He asks, pulling Jason away from the others. Alfred was always the only one who could calm him down.

“Are they really close to finding her?” Dick asks, approaching Bruce.

“We’ve dealt with dimension hopping before. Granted it was just The Flash who was able to travel through the dimensions. But I am fairly confident we will find her soon.” Bruce answers.

Just then there is a loud crash from upstairs. Dick winces.

“I hope so. I don’t know how much longer Alfred can distract him before he goes on a murder spree.” 

————————  
Stella felt better after talking with her mom, she always did. She avoided Bruce for the most part, sticking with Tim most of the time. He enjoyed the company since he told her Conner was off planet for a mission. She had come at the perfect time.

She went out with Alfred whenever she could. She enjoyed leaving the house and she loved helping Alfred with everyday things. It was one of those little pastimes she never got to do with her mom as a kid. They always had a nanny or a butler who would do everything for them. It was nice to be able to do the little things in life. Grocery shopping was her favorite. She loved looking at all the fresh fruits and vegetables and picking out the perfect ones.

Occasionally, Stella and Damian would head out to the dog park together with Titus. Stella learned fairly early on that he loved animals. Stella even took him to the Zoo on his day off from school. They shared a cotton candy together while Damian lead them around the park, telling Stella all the facts he knew about each animal. Stella made a mental note to take Damian behind the scenes of her marine animal park when she got back home.

She was starting to get used to living in this universe. The sad part was, she was slowly beginning to believe she would never go back.

What she didn’t know, was that Jason had been trailing her, ever since he saw her in the graveyard.

———————————————

Jason had been following Stella for days.

He started by watching the entrance to Bruce’s estate. The manor itself was under high security, but the roads leading up to the manor were not. It wasn’t hard for Jason to plant cameras around the roads leading up to the house. Every time Alfred’s car pulled out, Jason would be on the move. To his surprise, “Stella” was always out with him. He even followed her around the Zoo one day. She managed to make the demon spawn laugh. Jason had never seen Damian laugh before in his entire life. He didn’t even know it was capable of emotion.

Today Jason followed them to the local shopping mall. It was about one in the afternoon. Alfred was weaving in and out of mens department stores, no doubt shopping for one of Bruce’s fancy parties. Jason scoffed at the idea of Bruce’s stupid gatherings.

Stella was dressed in a pair of tight gray jeans and a plain white off shoulder blouse. She was wearing a black beret and a pair of large fake glasses. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her back. She was as beautiful as Jason remembered. She was no longer a young teenage girl. A beautiful woman was now standing in front of him. His heart ached every time he saw her smile.

What he didn’t understand was how, and why she didn’t come looking for him if she was alive.

————————

“Hey Alfred, I’m going to take a walk down to Gotham prep. Can you pick me up there later when you’re done?” Stella asks.

“Of course. I should be done in a few hours.”

“Thats perfect! We’re just so close to the school, and I wanted to see how the school has changed.” And to grab a milk shake at the local diner, she thought. 

Alfred smiled at her. “Be careful.”

“I will. See you in a bit!” Stella says as she starts to walk away and waves goodbye to Alfred.

It was a brisk Fall day. A light breeze blew through the air. The sun shined lightly through a thin layer of clouds. Stella stretched out her arms and smiled. She put in a pair of earphones and put her hands in her pocket.

She was almost at the school, when she suddenly had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The street was completely void of people, which was normal for this time of day, but it was a little too quiet. She stopped her music, and listened to the sounds around her. She heard a pair of footsteps behind her. She slowed down, they slowed down. She sped up, they sped up. And when she stopped, they stopped as well. By the mirrored sounds of footsteps behind her, she knew she was being followed. She began to pick up her pace.

———————   
Jason started following Stella as soon as she left Alfred’s side. She was headed in the direction of Gotham Prep. He kept his distance, about a block or so away. 

The crowded streets of Gotham began to die down. Soon, it was just him and her. But as she passed a street corner, two people came out and started following her.

Jason tensed. He looked around the area and they were all alone. 

He noticed Stella’s pace changing. First she slowed down, then went back to a normal pace, and then started speeding up. She knew she was being followed. It was a trick he taught her on how to test if someone was tailing you. He hoped that they would be able to make it into a more crowded area, but then Stella turned into one of the alleyways. Once she disappeared from their sight, the two figures started running after her. Jason took off after them.

———————————

Stella knew this alley lead directly to a street in a busy area. She would be safe once she got into a crowd. She made a sharp left turn as soon as she entered the alley. She could hear heavy footsteps behind her. Stella’s eyes widened when she saw the large fence straight in front of her.

“Shit, Shit, Shit.” She cried out. That gate was not supposed to be there. The alley was supposed to lead straight through to a big street. 

When the hell did they put up this fence? Stella thought.

Her heart was beating a million beats per second. She ran straight into the fence and started to climb. She was about halfway up, when a pair of arms grabbed her hair and yanked her off the fence. 

“Where you going babe?” The larger one asked in a creepy tone. 

The shorter man grabbed Stella by the arm and she cried out in pain. His grip was painful and she knew she would have bruises after this. That is, if she she survives. She punched him with her free arm and he let go for a second. But in an instant, the second man shoved her against the wall and pressed his body into hers. Stella started fighting back and began screaming, but he covered her mouth with his hands.

“Feisty. What’s a pretty thing like you doing all by yourself?” The man asked looking her up and down, licking his lips. 

“Should be a little more careful, you never know what kind of creeps are out here.”

Tears welled in her eyes as the other man started to lean in closer. She closed her eyes, not able to look at his face any longer.

Almost instantly she felt the pressure release. The man was violently ripped off her as she fell to the ground. She covered her face and braced for what was coming. But, nothing did. She heard sounds of fists connecting to skin, but none of it was aimed at her. Finally, the sound of two gun shots echoed through the walls, followed by silence.

She opened her eyes when it was quiet. She saw the two men’s bodies facedown on the floor, blood beginning to pool around them. She noticed another pair of boots standing over the bodies. She looked up and her eyes widened. 

“Are you okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :o Dun dun dunnnn. What will happen next?


	13. Chapter 12: How?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella tells the truth. A new player enters the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the meeting we have all been waiting for. Cue tiny sad violin music.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked again, walking towards her. He slowly kneels down and looks her over for injuries, keeping his distance.

Stella doesn’t say anything. She watches the man with wide eyes in front of her. She had only seen him from a far all this time. His presence was, familiar, warm. His turquoise eyes met her blue ones. His hair was slightly slicked back, but still sticking out in some parts. He wore a plain red t-shirt with a black leather jacket and a pair of dark gray jeans. If it wasn’t for the missing white streak in his hair, Stella would have thought it was her Jason. His face grew concerned when she didn’t respond to him. 

Stella senses his concern. “I-I’m okay.” She said quietly. Her voice a little cracked from fear. She felt a little sore due to the scuffle and the droplets of blood on her were definitely not hers, but for the most part she was relativity uninjured.

She glanced at the bodies behind him. They were lifeless. Bloody. Dead. 

“C-can we go somewhere else? I-I think i’m going to be sick.” She said closing her eyes. She’s seen her fair share of dead bodies, but she never got used to the sight of them.

He perked up at the comment. “Y-yeah. I have a safe house nearby.” He gently put his arms around her and helps her to her feet. She leaned into the contact. Her heart was still beating like a jack hammer. Jason diverted her away from the bodies and they both walked out of the alleyway. Thankfully, the street was still empty.

Minutes later, they arrive at an apartment complex. It was one that Stella had never been to before. Jason opens the door to his apartment and ushers her in.

The apartment is small and simple. It has a single mattress tucked into the corner of the room. A small desk lined with weapons and a thick laptop sits across from the bed. The small kitchenette looked clean and untouched.

Jason pulls out a chair and Stella takes a seat. He heads to the fridge to grab a bag of ice. He hands the bag to her. “For your arm.” 

She takes it and presses it to her achey arm. A light array of purple bruises had started to form.

Jason studies her. For a moment she glances at him, but looks down as their eyes meet. 

“I-is it really you?” He asks quietly. 

Stella looks at him sheepishly. She had rehearsed what she would say to him hundreds of times to herself, but she was drawing blanks at the moment.

“How?” He asks.

“It’s a long story.” She finally replies.

“Iv’e got time.” He says. She looks up at him and their eyes meet. His eyes showing relief, but also, pain.

She sighs, and finally begins talking. “Well there was this guy…”

———————-

Stella tells him everything. Everything from her waking up in this strange world, to the story of how her Jason was killed by the Joker and brought back to life.

“And well, here I am.” She finishes. She lays the bag of ice on her lap and keeps her gaze on Jason’s expression, watching for a reaction. He just sits there quietly, unmoving.

After what feels like hours, he finally speaks. “So you're from another dimension. And in your dimension, I die and you live?”

Stella nods.

Jason gets up off his stool and walks towards a window, his back to Stella. 

His shoulders are slumped. The last thing he wanted to hear was that she was from another dimension. Jason kept his hopes up all this time, but his Stella was still gone.

What he would give to live in a world where he was the one killed by the Joker.

“Jason, you need to stop doing what you’re doing.” Stella says, breaking the silence.

Jason turns to face her, puzzled.

“The killing. The crime. This isn’t you. Please stop. If she was alive, Stella wouldn’t want you to be like this. She would want you to move on and live! And to honor the memories you two shared.”

She was standing now. The bag of ice sat on the chair, forgotten.

“Please Jason, the whole family misses you. Even Bruce…”

Anger flowed through Jason when he heard his name. “Do not say his name in front of me!” He screamed. 

Stella took a step back. “But Jason listen, it wasn’t his fault. You can’t blame him. Stella may be gone physically, but she will always be with you; in your heart.”

Jason was seething now. This wasn’t his Stella. This was just some whore from another dimension. She didn’t know anything about him. Bruce refused to kill the clown. Bruce was weak. The entire family was weak. Stella was dead because of him. And he would never see her again.

“Don’t tell me who to blame. That MONSTER killed her and he did nothing about it.”

“But…”

“He let her die. He knew where we both were. He could’ve just sent someone to get her. HE SHOULD HAVE WENT TO SAVE HER! NOT ME!”

Stella stared at him, speechless.

“She had an entire life ahead of her. You know she dreamed of one day opening her own animal park. To help the animals who couldn’t help themselves. She was going to make the park free for all the kids who couldn’t afford to go to theme parks.”

Jason could feel the tears fighting to come out.

“She gave up so much for a street rat like me. And she died because of me.”

Stella looked at him, but said nothing. She was at a loss for words.

“Jay…”

Jason froze. He hadn’t heard his nickname in years. Stella was the only one that called him that. 

“Get out.”

Stella paused. Jason screamed at her this time. “GET OUT!”

Stella froze for a second, before making a run for the door. She ran as fast as she could down the flights of stares and outside the building, tears running down her face.

What was she thinking? This wasn’t her Jason. This Jason lost something he could never get back. A feeling she had felt, once upon a time in her life. Except, her soulmate came back to her.

Jason’s wouldn’t.

She kept running until she could not run anymore. She realized she was lost, but she didn’t care. She stopped when her chest started to hurt. She pressed her back against a wall and slid to the floor. Her body ached from running, but it was her heart that hurt the most. She curled up, brought her knees to her chest, and started weeping.

A lone figure from across the street watched her. In fact, he had been watching her for a while now. He watched as she entered that alleyway with three men tailing her. He watched as she was lead out of said alley by one of those men, covered in blood. He watched as they entered the apartment together, and he also watched as she exited said building, alone.

He had a grin on his face the entire time, a smile of sorts. His blonde hair was dyed green at the tips. He lets out a sickening laugh, before pulling a needle out from his coat, and made his way towards his unsuspecting victim.

——————

Jason paced around in his apartment. His thoughts were all over the place. That girl wasn’t his Stella. She was just a fraud. How dare she ask him to forgive Bruce. Maybe all was well in her little planet. Here, Stella was still dead and Jason was still alone. 

Suddenly the sound of a phone caught his attention. He followed the noise and discovered a small cellphone ringing on the floor. The caller ID showed Alfred was calling.

Jason hesitated, but picked up the phone. “Ms. Stella where are you?” Alfred asked.

“Uh..” Jason said into the phone. Alfred’s tone changed immediately. “Who is this? Where is Ms. Stella? Why do you have her phone?” He asked concerned.

Jason spoke quickly. “Hey Alfred, it’s me Jason. Look I know about your little guest you guys have been keeping around. She ran off towards downtown. I don’t know where she went.” He said and hung up the phone. 

He raised his arm ready to smash the phone on the ground, but he stopped. He glanced at the picture he had on his desk. It was a picture of him and Stella, the day he revealed his secret identity to her. He was still dressed as Robin, but he took off his mask for the picture. They were seated on the ledge of Wayne tower. The smiles across their faces were real, and neither one of them knew what the future would hold. He lowered his arm and stared at the blank screen.

Even thought she wasn’t his Stella, he still cared about her for some reason. The way his heart felt when he first laid eyes on her. When he saw her in the graveyard talking to her moms grave. And today, when he saved her from those creeps. He hadn’t felt like that in ages. There was just something about her that drew him in. 

He shook his head to clear his mind.

He tossed the phone on the table and turned away from it. Determined to get her out of his head, he started to get dressed for his meeting tonight. He will deal with his feelings another night.

The phone on the table stayed silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live for angst. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Comments welcomed! (:


	14. Chapter 13: The Jester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise guest announces his existence to Gotham.

Stella woke up in a cold room. It was dark and her entire body ached. She tried to move her arms, but she soon realized her arms were bound above her head. She was hanging from the ceiling, her bound hands keeping her upright. She tried to wiggle her hand out of the rope, but they were on tight. 

She looked around the room to take in her surroundings. By the looks of it, she was in the middle of an abandoned medical facility. The white floors and barely visible white walls told her she was in some sort of medical room.

“Ah, so the princess finally wakes up from her slumber” A voice rings out. A dark figure dressed in a medical coat steps out of the shadows. His face looks familiar, a little too familiar. The green hair was what triggered this thought. But it couldn’t be. From what she was told he was dead in this universe. He was holding a very familiar black and red bat.

“Confused? I would be too if I were you.” He smiles wickedly at her. “The names Jester. You don’t know me, but you knew my parents.”

Stella’s eyes widened, and it clicked. The green hair. The white lab coat. The crazy eyes.

“Surprised? Didn’t think he had it in him huh? Neither did my mom.” He began circling her, like a predator did before making its kill.

“Thats why after your so called ‘boyfriend’ murdered my dad, mom didn’t think she could do it herself. THAT’S WHY SHE KILLED HERSELF!” He screamed and took a swing at Stella. 

A disturbing CRACK echoed through the room as Stella cried out in pain. The bat hit her straight in the ribs. One of them had to be broken. Stella’s breathing quickened as she tried not to cry.

“Oh this is going to be SO much fun.”

———————

“How did we manage to lose her, again?” Dick says with a sigh. Bruce, Damian, Barbara, Tim, Dick, and Alfred were all in the Batcave. Alfred was sitting in a chair, his face his hands.

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have let her go by herself. If only…”

“No Alfred. You could have never predicted this. No one even knows she exists in this universe. She should have been safe”

“Do you think Jason has her and that he’s lying about her running off?” Tim asks.

“Could be possible. We have no idea what he is capable of.” Bruce answers clicking away at his computer. 

Alfred opened his mouth to say something, but never did.

“We looked downtown already, and she had her wallet with her. She would have just called a cab back to the house. What if something happened to her?” Dick asked worried.

“Wait turn on the news. Channel 9.” Barbara said out of nowhere. 

Bruce switched the main screen to Channel 9 news.

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news. We have just received a video with what looks like a victim of kidnapping. Please note the footage is graphic and viewer discretion is advised.” 

Just then the news cut to a video of Stella, still bound by her arms. A figure steps into view in front of her. 

“Good evening Gotham. This comes to you all, but I am only talking to one of you out there. I will be your entertainment tonight. The Jester you might want to call me. You see, I have been waiting years for something like this to come along. And low a behold, the perfect opportunity just falls into my lap. Well not literally, she ran towards me if we were talking semantics. Anyways!” 

The man grabs Stella’s face and squeezes her cheeks. “This little bird just happened to be around my neighborhood. Look familiar? A pretty bird this one. Doesn’t talk much, but that just makes it more FUN.” 

He looks directly at the camera in front of him now, and walks closer to it so it’s just his face in full view. “Renegade. You have 2 hours. Once the show is over, this little birdie will fly off into the sky! But it looks like she’ll need a little help taking flight.” He says as he picks up his bat and takes another swing at Stella, this time in the leg. The footage cuts to black.

“We have to stop him.” Dick screams. 

“Who is he? Why does he look so familiar?” Barbara says, thinking out loud.

“He’s exactly who you think he is.” A voice in the shadows calls out.

Dick, Damian, and Barbara tense up and each pull out a weapon. “Who there?” Dick asks out loud.

Jason steps out of the shadows and into the light. A red facemask covered his mouth and a black and white domino mask hid his eyes. He was dressed as Renegade. The team relaxes a bit, but not entirely.

“How did you get in here?” Dick asks. Bruce glares at Jason and wonders the same thing.

“I have my ways.”

“I let him in.” Alfred admits. “W-when Ms. Stella didn’t come back I called him. I was afraid she was in danger and he was the last one to see her.”

The whole family looks at Alfred in disbelief. They notice his eyes were shiny, and didn’t say anything more.

Jason speaks, breaking the silence. “He’s Joker and Harley’s son.”

“What?!?” The family screams in unison.

Jason steps closer and the team tenses again. He sighs angrily. “Harley told me before she killed herself. I never thought to look for him. She told me he would grow up away from all the madness. Guess she was wrong about that.”

The team stares at Jason in shock. There were so many things going on right now they didn’t know which one to tackle first. It was Bruce who spoke up first.

“I recognize this building. It’s the old abandoned Asylum where we used to keep the lower scaled patients. It was where Harley would go to interview him.” Bruce says matter a factly. 

“Thanks for the tip.” Jason says as he begins to walk out of the cave.

“Wait!” Dick cried out. 

Jason turned to glare at him. “I don’t have time to wait around. This is your fault anyways. How could you keep something like that from me? Different dimension or not, it’s still her!” He screamed.

And I was the one who pushed her out the door and into the arms of this deranged psychopath. That part he kept to himself. 

Dick was silent.   
“I am not going to let that assholes kid take her away from me again.” Jason growled and left the cave.

“Let’s go. We don’t know what this sick psychopath has planned. He’s going to need our help.” Bruce said, already heading towards the Batmobile.

Dick looked sadly at Alfred, who was on the verge of tears. “It’s not your fault Alfred. We’ll get her back.” He said as he hopped on his cycle and road off.


	15. Chapter 14: Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jester gets what he wants, a meeting with Renegade.

It had been about a hour since the Jester sent out the video message. Stella could barely stay awake. She had never been in so much pain in her life. He had taken a few more swings since the broadcast. Every part of her body stung, some parts were numb. He left the room a few minutes ago. Stella spit out some blood that began to pool in her mouth. Her breathing was shallow.

She turned her head around to look around the room. It was the first time she had a chance to look around. Tucked in the back of the room, she could hear something ticking. She squinted her eyes and saw the timer. 50 minutes were left. She couldn’t see what it was attached too, but if he was as sick as his mother and father she knew exactly what it was. She closed her eyes to preserve her strength. 

There were so many things running through her mind. What would happen to her life back home? She saw what her death here did to the people in this universe. Would Jason ever forgive himself? Would anyone back home even know she was gone?

She never even got to say goodbye to her dad. She never got to thank him for everything he did for her. Was that how her younger self felt before she was killed by Joker? Would it hurt? Would it be quick? 

She glanced at the time again. 45:57.

Was this how Jason felt before he was taken away from her the first time? 

Maybe it was fate. Maybe she was just destined to die. They say the universe has its way of fixing things. 

She didn’t know what to think. The only sounds in the room were her shallow breathing, and the timer ticking down to zero.

—————————

The door was open when they got there. The Asylum was small, nothing compared to Arkham. Jason entered the building screaming loudly. They had already wasted enough time coming up with a plan. He wasn’t going to lose her again.

“I’m here Jester! Come out and fight me. That’s what you want isn’t it. A chance to fight the man who killed your madman father?!?!” He taunted. His voice echoed through the halls.

He was standing in the reception hall of the building. It was abandoned so everything was broken and rotting. There were a few dead rats here and there. He turned when he hears the sound of someone clapping from one of the halls. 

Jasons grip on his guns tightened. Jester began to walk towards him while slowly clapping his hands.

“Bravo. That was beautiful.” He teased

Jason raised his gun and pointed them at his head. “Where is she?” He barked.

The Jester grinned evilly. “Even if you found her she probably wouldn’t want to see you. I mean, you're the reason she is even in this predicament in the first place.”

Jason glared at him. Jester went on. “Kicking her out like that. Telling her to leave you alone when all she wanted to do was help you? How heartless could you be?”

Jester was pacing back and forth. 

Jason kept his finger on the trigger. He didn’t know what this mad man had planned so he couldn’t just shoot him. He needed to know more.

“Tsk Tsk Tsk. I’m going to make this easy for you Ren. Can I call you that?”

Silence.

“Well, at first I wasn’t actually going to do anything to her tonight. She’s here. Alive. I just wanted to get a chance to get to know her ya know?”

He stopped pacing and grinned.

“But she wouldn’t talk. She just kept screaming and crying for me to stop. It started to get old real fast. So in the end I thought why the hell not? Let’s up this game a little. I left her with a familiar parting gift.”

Jason tensed. His trigger finger tightening.

“Tonight is about us. After all, you took something from me, and i’m about to take something from you!” He screamed before he lunged at Jason with the bat. 

———————

Meanwhile, the rest of the bats were searching for Stella room by room. Dick had already been through about a dozen rooms, but still nothing. He was getting a painfully familiar deja vu feeling.

He pushes open the door in front of him. Another empty room. He curses and slams the door behind him.

It was Batman who found her. He signaled to the rest of the team, but he was able to get Stella down from her restraints before they got there. She was barely breathing when they got to her. Her clothes were bloody and large bruises were forming around her arms and legs. It was difficult to look at.

It was then Batman noticed the ticking. This brought back horrible memories for him. The day he wasn’t able to save his son’s girlfriend. The day he lost Jason.

The clock read 2:17. The ticking was more prominent now as he carried Stella out of the building. He snuck out through the back to avoid getting in the middle of Renegade and the Jester.

“I got her. Get out now! Theres a bomb!” 

Jason heard Bruce through his headset. He was still in the middle of fighting Jester, so he ignored the com. He was surprisingly a good fighter. It was as if he studied Jason’s fighting style and knew everything about it. He wasn’t surprised. The creep had probably been watching him for years.

Jason threw another punch, and Jester jumped out of the way. He was laughing and teasing him the entire time.

“Just gonna let her die again?”

“How does it feel to lose her again?”

Jason was livid. He dropped his guns and lunged at him this time. Jester was not expecting this. Jason tacked him to the floor and began punching him in the face, over and over again. He was seeing red, and nothing mattered now that Bruce had Stella and she was safe.

He grabbed Jester by his collar and pulled him up. He smiled up at Jason.

“Tick tok goes the clock. I would say she has about 50 seconds before she joins her younger self.”

This brought Jason back to the real world. He pulled out another gun from his back and pointed it at the Jester’s face. Jester just laughed at him.

“Go ahead. Kill me. You have already taken everything from me.”

Just then a voice echoed in his head. “Jay, don’t.” He turned around, the voice sounded like it was standing right behind him, but there was nothing there.

This was enough distraction for the Jester to shove Jason off of him. He made a run for it. Before Jason was able to regain himself, Nightwing entered the room from the entrance.

“Renegade, get out. The buildings about to blow!” He screams.

Jason starts to chase after Jester, but he feels something physical pull him back. But it couldn’t be possible. There was no one behind him. That was enough time for Nightwing to grab onto Jason and pull him out of the building, just as it exploded behind them, sending them flying a few feet in the air. 

Jason pushed himself off the ground. And looked at the burning building in front of him. A outstretched hand appeared in front of him. He looked up to see Batman offering him a hand.

He ignored the hand and got up himself, walking past Batman. He made his way towards the Batmobile. He peered inside and found Batgirl tending to an injured Stella. He watched for any sign of life, and when he saw her take a small breath, he too let out a breath of relief.

He felt a hand on his slumped shoulder.

“Let’s go home.” Nightwing said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo this was never supposed to be a story about Jester and Jason. It's just an introduction to something I may want to dive into later. But none the less it plays a small part in this story.
> 
> Good things happen soon (: I promise.


	16. Chapter 15: Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason finally comes to terms with his feelings.

Stella was out for a few days. A shocked, but relieved Alfred was there to tend her wounds when they brought her back.

She had 2 fractured ribs, a fractured radius, and a few internally bruised organs. They had managed to get the internal bleeding under control with the help of Dr. Leslie. Alfred called her as soon as Stella arrived in the Batcave. She would be in pain for a while, but she was out of danger.

Jason stayed in the manor the entire time. He spent most of the time sitting in the room watching Stella from a chair next to the bed. Occasionally, he walked up to her and brushed the hair from her face. She had a large cast around her left arm, and a ton of bandages around her torso. She looked so small buried deep under many layers of sheets and medical equipment. 

The family visited quite often as well. In the little time that she had been in their world, Stella had influenced them all, one way or another. Tim would only come in if he was accompanied by Alfred, he was still a little afraid of Jason. Dick and Barbara visited often, almost always with each other. Even Damian would come in every day to see if she had woken up yet. Bruce would only stop by if he knew Jason was asleep or out of the room. He was still not ready to face his son. 

No one ever exchanged words with Jason. They only acknowledged he was there, and once they were done, they would leave without a word.

They never found any evidence of the Jester’s body in the rubble. He had an escape plan. His goal that night was just to announce his existence to Jason. He never really had a plan to stick around.

He would be back. Jason was sure of it. But that was future Jason’s problem. All he wanted now, was for Stella to wake up.

———————

Stella felt like her body was on fire. But this time rather than waking up to a cold room with her hands bound, she found herself laying on a plush bed in a warm room.

She opened her eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the light. A figure next to her got up immediately and cried for help.

“Alfred! She’s awake.” A voice said loudly.

Her vision was starting to clear. The figured leaned over, took her hand into his, and squeezed.

“Hey.” Jason said, relief in his voice.

Once she realized who was in front of her, she smiles. “Hi.” She said softly. She notices his spilt lip and slightly bruised cheek. “Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?” She asks.

Jason smiles at her. Typically Stella. Worried about the people around her when she was the one wrapped up like a mummy. 

“Everyone is okay. You got the worst of it. Everyone is safe.”

“Mhm. I’m glad.” She says as Alfred walks in, Tim not far behind her.

“Ms Stella, how are you feeling?” He asks gently. 

She smiles at him. “Like I was put through a paper shredder.” She laughed, but winced when her entire body started hurting.

Alfred gently patted her arm. “Im so relieved.”

Stella yawned. “I’m sleepy.”

Jason smiled. “Go back to sleep Stella. We’ll be here when you wake up again.”

Alfred moved to raise her morphine as he notices her pain. 

Stella closes her eyes and as the morphine kicks in. Her body and mind go numb, and she falls asleep once again.

——————————

It took a few weeks for Stella to actually be able to get out of bed. Granted, she had to be pushed around in a wheelchair, but anything was better than laying in a bed and not being able to move.

To her surprise, Jason stuck around, even after they confirmed she was fine.

Things seemed to be back to normal, for this world that is. Stella was starting to settle in.

It was just a typical Tuesday afternoon. The family was starting to slowly filter back into the manor. Damian had just been let out of school, and Tim was back from his late afternoon meetings. Jason had pushed Stella out into the garden, and they were both facing the beautiful gardens of Wayne Manor. Neither one said anything for a while. The silence was comfortable.

Jason broke the silence first. “So, I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

Stella turned to look at Jason. He was still staring straight ahead.

“That night. I could have killed him. I had the shot. But something stopped me. I heard a voice.”

He paused, and turned to look at her. “It told me to stop.”

“Oh?” Stella says, intrigued.

He looked up at the setting sun this time. “She called my name.”

Stella stared at him for a while. She would never admit it to anyone, but ever since her mom died, she always felt like she was sometimes right there, watching over her. She knew that death didn’t always mean the end. Jason proved that to her. Watching Jason now, this world’s Jason, she could see that he finally understood that.

“Like I said before. She will always be with you. Gone but not forgotten.” She says with a smile.

He chuckles at the corny line. Jason pauses a bit. “How did you get over his death?”

Stella took a moment before answering. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for Dick I wouldn’t be here right now. Bruce, Alfred, Tim, and Barbara helped me through a lot of it. In times like these the people around you are your best resource. And to be honest, they still care about you Jason. You’re still family to them.” She says, placing a hand on his arm.

He looked down at her hand. He sighs. “I don’t know if I can work with them again.” She knew exactly what he meant. Even though the Red Hood occasionally worked with the Bat family, they still had their problems.

“Give it time.”

Jason stares at her, and finally takes it all in. The way she looked at him, her smile. Like she actually cared about the way he felt and what he says. The way Stella used to look at him when they were teens. 

Tears start to well up in his eyes. He didn’t see the strange girl from another universe in front of him right now. What he saw was a young teenage girl smiling at him. A teenage girl who always believed in him. The love of his life, that he lost too soon. Jason couldn’t control it anymore and just let the tears fall. 

He got up and threw himself onto Stellas lap. Stella looked down sadly at the weeping man. She began to gently stroke his hair. “I just miss her. So much.” He sobbed into her lap. He was visibly shaking now.

“I know.” She whispered.

Stella held him while he cried. Years of pent up emotion finally released. This was step one in his recovery. Sometimes, letting it out is all you need to feel better.

They stayed together in the peaceful silence. 

After a few minutes, Jason calmed down. Once his sobs subsided, he sat up and wiped his face with the back of his hand. His eyes and nose, red and puffy. Stella smiled down at him.

“Thank you.” He said in a loud whisper.

“Always.” She said. He went in for a hug, squeezing lightly to avoid aggravating her wounds.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” A voice screams out, just as they pull away from their hug.

They both turn to the direction the voice came from and before they could see who it was, Jason was tacked by none other than the Red Hood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the end. Just a few more chapters! How do you feel about the events so far? (:


	17. chapter 16: Red Hood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Hood finally steps foot in the dimension Stella's been trapped in. How will the reunion go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To start, this is not going to be that crazy of a chapter. There has been enough angst in this story. Its time for some tooth rotting fluff.

“Are you sure this will work?” Dick asked reluctantly. He was standing in the Justice League tower dressed in his Nightwing gear.

“Yes. Just press the button when you guys are ready, and it should send you where you want to go.” Zatanna said, handing him a small remote like device.

“Common I don’t have all day. Let’s go.” Jason calls back. He was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. All the hero’s walking by were sending him nasty looks. He was totally out of place here, especially since he was dressed as the Red Hood. Jason walks up to the pair.

“Okay.” Dick responded. As he presses the button. A large yellow portal opens up in front of them. Dick and Jason step in front of it.

“When you’re ready to come back. Flip the switch on the side, and it should reverse the portal.” Zatanna says from behind them. “Good luck!”

“Were not coming back without her.” Dick says to Jason.

Jason doesn’t respond. He just starts walking towards the portal. Dick follows shortly.

————————

They both land on their feet. They were in a dirty alley between two old brick buildings. Dick and Jason look around. It was still day time in this universe, the sun shining bright over them. Dick peaks his head out of the alleyway. There were people walking around on the streets. He quickly pulled himself back to where Jason was standing.

“Uh, it’s day time. And we stick out like a sore thumb.” He says gesturing to their costumes.

Jason ignores him. He pulls out a small tracking device from his pocket. To his surprise, it starts to beep. 

“She’s here.” He says to Dick.

Dick looks at him questioningly. “How do you know?”

“Her tracker is working.”

“You put a tracker in her?”

Jason rolled his eyes under his helmet. “No dickwad. She has a tracker in her necklace. And before you say anything; yes, she knows it’s there. Now come on.” He says as he shoots his grappling hook onto the roof and swings up. Dick follows suit.

According to the tracker, Stella was inside Wayne manor. Well, this worlds Wayne manor. They managed to get to the manor in record time. Jason didn’t bother trying to be stealthy. He just wanted to get to Stella as soon as he could. 

The two men soon found themselves in front of the gates of Wayne manor. Luckily, the roads leading up to the estate were private roads so there were no onlookers. Getting to the manor was easy. Getting in was another problem.

“What should we do? Climb the gates?” Jason asked.

“Why don’t we try knocking?” Dick responds.

Jason glared at him through his helmet. “What do you mean? We can’t just show up and be like hey so we’re from a different dimension. By the way, have you seen my girlfriend?”

“Why not?” Dick says as he starts to walk up to the manor doors.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Jason yells. But Dick had already pressed the gates call button.

“Hello?” A voice answers through the intercom.

“Hi, Uh I’m Nightwing. Or er, Dick. We’re from another dimension and we’re looking for someone who might be inside?” Dick answers. Jason cannot believe how stupid he is.

To his surprise, the voice answered back. “Ah I believe I know exactly who you are talking about. She is here. Please come in.” The voice said as the doors clicked open. Jason’s jaw dropped. Dick looked at him with a smirk and shrugged. He pushed open the gate and walked in. Jason ran after him.

Alfred greeted them at the door. He did not seem phased at all, given the circumstances. Dick walked right past him into the manor. Alfred hesitated when Jason turned up. “He’s with me. Thanks Alf.” Alfred watched Jason the whole time. He had no idea who this strange man was.

They were greeted by the entire family in the foyer. Bruce, Damian, Tim, Barbara, and Dick stared at the two men in front of them. 

Jason and Dick paused. Dick was super weirded out, staring at the man who looked exactly like him standing six feet away. Jason just stared at the people in front of them, not caring who they were. He was just focused on finding Stella.

“So you’re him.” Bruce said. 

Dick nudged Jason in the ribs. “Take off the helmet.” He whispered.

Jason obliged, and with a hiss, he took off his helmet and placed it on the table next to them. Then he ripped off his domino mask, revealing his turquoise eyes underneath. Bruce studied him carefully.

What Stella told them was true. The man standing in front of them was Jason, but a little different. He was bigger, only a little, and he had a white streak running through his dark hair. There were also multiple scars on his face, and his eyes were more hardened, and a little bit broken.

“Um sorry to be so rash but, we’re looking for someone. Is she here by any chance?” Dick asks nervously.

“She’s in the garden.” Barbara answers, still staring at the clone of her boyfriend that just walked through the front door.

Jason did not hesitate to run through the house and push past its residents. He beelined towards the garden. Dick followed him, flanked by the others.

As he ran through the yard he saw a familiar blonde head in the distance. “Stella.” He whispers as he breaks out into a sprint. As he got closer, he realized she wasn’t alone. He saw that a strange man had his arms around his girlfriend.

Jason’s protective, or jealous however you wanted to look at them, instincts kicked in. He screamed at the man. “GET AWAY FROM HER!” And without hesitation, tackled him to the ground.

———————

Stella watched in confusion as Red Hood tackles Jason to the ground. 

Jason was about to start throwing punches, but he immediately saw the white streak and turquoise eyes and realized who the man was. “Hey I give!” He cried. Jason stopped fighting back and held his hands up in surrender. 

Red Hood had pulled out a gun and had it pointed at his head. He had one knee on his chest, pinning him down. His other hand was wrapped around Jason’s neck. He was too angry to realize just exactly who he had pinned down at the ground at the moment.

Jason looked up at his twin, he was more intrigued than scared at this point. But he kept his hands raised as a symbol of surrender. 

“I’m unarmed, I promise.” He gasped as Red Hood tightened his hold around his neck.

After finally realizing who was standing in front of her, Stella cried out. “Jay?!” 

Red Hood turns to face her and immediately jumps off the man he had just tackled. He dropped the gun he was holding onto the floor as he took her in. His eyes widened as his anger turned to relief. 

Her blue eyes went from shock to relief as she came to the realization who was standing in front of her.

“Stella? Is it really you?” He asks rushing to her side. He kneels down in front of her and in an instant, Stella launches herself into his arms, for a moment forgetting about her injuries. 

“Jay!” She says as she begins to sob into his chest. Jason hugs her back and collapses onto his knees, his arms around her tightening. “I’m here doll. I’m here.” He whispers into her ears, finally allowing the tears he had been holding back to fall. They pull away to look each other in the eyes. He cups her face in his hands. His turquoise eyes finally meeting her blue ones. They crash their mouths together, desperate for one another. They both tasted like tears, but it didn’t matter.

She was safe. He finally found her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg its really all coming to an end. There are two more full chapters coming up followed by a short epilogue. Thank you for everyone that has been following! I can't promise a sequel to this story will come super fast, but I do currently have plans for one. 😉


	18. Chapter 17: Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella and Jason have been reunited. The family is very interested in their new guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of everyones brain, the Jason of this world will be referred to as Renegade, while Stella's Jason is just Jason.

Jason and Stella held each other in the garden for a while. Renegade got up off the floor and stared at the couple in front of him. He turned away when they went in for another kiss. A familiar pang of jealousy filled his body.

The family finally got to the garden and smiled at the scene in front of them. Nightwing looked so relieved and let out a breath he felt like he was holding in for weeks. No one said anything.

Stella pulled away from Jason’s embrace and placed both her hands on his cheek. “I missed you.” She said quietly.

“I missed you too doll.” He said smiling through his tears.

After a few moments, Alfred cleared his throat. “Might we take this inside? It’s starting to get a little chilly out here.”

They all turned to face Alfred and nodded. 

Jason scoops Stella into his arms and carries her inside bridal style. She wrapped her uninjured arms around his neck and buried her face in his hair, taking in his scent. She pressed a line of kisses down his jaw. Jason chuckled, and leaned into it.

Alfred opened the door to the manor and they all stepped inside. 

Jason carefully sat down on the couch with Stella still in his arms. He pulled away for one second to examine her injuries. Stella could see the cogs turning in his brain and placed a hand on his cheek.

“I’m fine Jay. Honest.”

Jason relaxes into her touch, and for a moment, pushes his worries aside.

Nightwing sat next to him, his mask was off now. A sense of relief washed over his eyes.

“Hey Dickie.” Stella says with a grin. 

“Missed you baby bird.” She leans over and gives him a small hug. “You have no idea how hard it has been dealing with him without you.” Stella giggles and Jason rolls his eyes.

The rest of the family just stared at the three of them. 

Dick was admiring himself, as usual. “I look good in my hero gear.” He announced loudly. Barbara smacked him in the back of the head and he laughed. “What it’s true. He said as he took a seat next to his twin. “Hi I’m Dick. But you know that already.” He said to Nightwing, extending his hand out.

Nightwing smirked at him and shook his hand. “Hi, let’s call me Nightwing. It’s going to get a little confusing if we start calling me Dick too.”

Dick shrugged. “Makes sense.”

Renegade took a seat across from his doppelgänger. He studied him. The way he was whispering to Stella. The private smiles they shared with each other. The way he held her like she was the only thing that mattered to him. He felt a familiar sense of longing in the pit of his stomach. His heart ached looking at the two of them. 

“Will you three be staying for dinner?” Alfred asks.

Nightwing and Jason exchange glances. Jason didn’t care what they did. Now that Stella was safe in his arms, he was up for anything.

“Sure. Why not?”

———————

Dinner was, interesting to say the least.

Dick and Nightwing spent the entire time talking non stop to each other. Well more like spent the whole time complimenting each other. Barbara watched in amusement as she did not know how in the world he was able to talk this much. They were basically the entertainment for everyone that night.

Tim was very interested in the device they used to get here. He asked Nightwing if he could examine it and he obliged, as long as he did not break it that is. Tim was ecstatic. He ate his dinner with one hand while examining the device with his other.

Damian frowned at his food the entire time. He knew at this point Stella was leaving. He actually started to enjoy her company. He was sad to see her go. He said almost nothing the entire night.

Jason and Stella never left each others side. Alfred managed to push both of their chairs together so they could continue to be close to one another. Jason had his arms around the back of her waist, careful not to aggravate her ribs. Stella had her legs draped around his and had her hand on his lap as they fed each other pieces of bread and shared soft kisses. 

Bruce admired the scene in front of him. This was the first time in years that the whole family was actually together and not fighting. He watched Alfred hustle around, trying to serve each and every member of the family. Damian was glaring at his food like always, and Tim was fascinated by the object in front of him. He glanced over at Renegade. He noticed the young man was still watching the couple in front of him with wanting eyes.

He would have to finally talk to him after their visitors were gone.

Dinner was peaceful. So when Alfred asked if they wanted to stay the night, Nightwing, Jason, and Stella agreed. 

Dick and Nightwing went down to the Batcave. They wanted to fight each other to see who really was the superior Nightwing. Barbara, Damian, Bruce, and Tim followed them.

Jason took Stella upstairs to her room. It was a very eventful day, but Stella was still recovering from her injuries and he knew she needed to rest. They spent a few hours talking to each other while laying on the bed. Jason had his arms wrapped around her the entire time. 

Stella told him everything that happened to her in this world. From waking up in a dark alley dressed in her PJs, to being kidnapped and nearly beaten to death by Joker’s son. She made sure to leave out the parts about her sneaking out into Gotham alone. She didn’t want Jason to have an aneurism.   
Jason smiled down at her.

“How did you know I was here?” She finally asked.

“Well, Zatanna helped us the most. She was able to track down your location using some type of aura scanner or something. Once she was able to pinpoint your location, I used the tracker in your necklace to track you here.”

Stella looked down at her necklace. She wore it so often she forgot she even had it. It was just a simple gold necklace with the letters JT at the end. She held the necklace in her hand.

“Huh, so the tracker wasn’t actually a stupid idea like I thought.” She says with a laugh.

“Told you it would come in handy.” He chuckles.

Stella looks at him and places her right hand on his cheek. Jason closes his eyes and gently presses a kiss onto her hand.

“Just making sure you’re real and not a hallucination.”

“I’m real princess. I promise.”

They shift positions so that Stella is laying on her uninjured side. She hugs him tight, taking over as the big spoon. She runs her hands through his hair with her uninjured arm. He hums and melts into her touch.

“So tell me, how did you keep this a secret from my dad?” She asked with a smirk.

“Lets just say we had a little help from Miss Martian…” He went on to tell her the many ways they covered up her disappearance. They talked until Stella started to get sleepy. Jason handed her the pain pills Alfred left by her bedside, and she fell asleep peacefully in his arms.

Jason took in the room he was in. It was an exact replica of his old room back at the manor. He chuckled at the idea that Stella stayed in his childhood bedroom while she was here. He admires the photographs on top of the dresser. He pauses at the photo of him as Robin, standing with Batman.

Just then, he realized that he had left his mask and helmet downstairs. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving his stuff out in the open like that. Especially since the helmet was pretty much a walking bomb to anyone that wasn’t him. He carefully wiggled out from Stella’s grasp, careful not to wake her. Thankfully, she stayed asleep, the pills working their magic.

Jason tip toed out of the bedroom and carefully closed the door behind him. He made his way into the foyer where he found his hood and mask sitting on the table he left them on. He picked up his things and started to head up the stairs, when he noticed someone was watching him from the living room. Jason turned to face his doppelgänger. 

Renegade got up from his seat on the couch and made his way towards Jason. He stood in front of him and looked him up and down. It was like looking in the mirror, except it wasn’t. 

The white stripe was a given. Something he remembered Stella talking about. A side effect of his dip in the Lazarus Pit. Jason had many scars on his face, and he was sure he had many more under his armor. And his eyes. They were harder, like he had seen a lot of things. They were the eyes of a man who have clearly been through a lot. He looked at the red bat on his chest.

“So, Red Hood?”

Jason smirked. “Yeah. Kinda just fit.”

“The clown still alive in your universe?”

“Yeah.” Jason answers, in a dark tone.

Renegade frowns, but didn’t say anything more.

“Hey, uh. I just wanted to thank you. For you know. Taking care of her.” Jason said looking away from his twin. He was never too good at these things.

Renegade shrugs. “You should thank the family. I was barely here most of the time.”

“Stella told me everything. To be honest, I probably would have done the same thing. God knows how many things I destroyed in this place while she was gone. I can’t imagine what I would do if I lost her.”

Renegade stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to that statement. “Take care of her.” He says as he turns to return to the living room.

“Always.” Jason replies. He turns and jogs up the stairs with his helmet and mask in hand.

Renegade watches him ascend the stairs. Once he heard the door softly close, he pulled out a cigarette, and made his way out the front door.

Jason enters the room as quietly as possible. Stella turns to look at him as he closes the door behind him. She smiles up at him.

“Sorry doll. Didn’t mean to wake you.” He said as he stripped off his armor and boots. He grabs the spare PJs Alfred left in the room and slips them on. Stella watches him with tired eyes as he gets under the covers and holds her tight against his chest.

“I love you.” She mumbled into his chest, snuggling as close as possible.

Jason kisses her on the head, before whispering back. “I love you too princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG two more short chapters to go! This one is the longest one. 
> 
> But good news is there will most likely be a second series! But work is picking up so that one will not be updated as often as this one was (:


	19. Chapter 18: Goodbye For Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbyes are never easy. Especially since the people you were leaving felt like family.

“There. That should do it.” Nightwing announced. Everyone was inside the Batcave watching Nightwing fumble with the teleportation device. 

“Well then, shall I pack your things Ms. Stella?” Alfred asks?

“No thank you Alfred. I have all I need right here.” She said happily, looking up and locking eyes with Jason. She was finally able to walk on her own thanks to some powerful pain meds Alfred had given her. But she was trying not to push herself too hard. She was leaning on Jason for support.

Alfred looked at the couple and smiled. “Very well.”

The whole family was there to see them off. They all stood next to one another in silence. None of them actually wanted her to leave. She was a great addition to their unique family. But they knew she had to get back to her own world.

Tim was the first to step up. “I guess this is goodbye then.” He said as he rolled over to Stella and Jason.

Stella turned to look at him. That was when it really hit her. She was going home. But home, also meant that she was leaving these people that she had become friends with. She glanced at each and every person in the room. Everyone was smiling at her. Happy that she would finally be able to go home. Everyone but Renegade, who stood at the back of the room, cigarette in his mouth, his arms crossed.

“Really gonna miss those late night coffee talks.” He says before extending his hand. Stella pushed it away and went for a hug instead. “Thanks for keeping me company while I was here.” She said happily. Tim was shocked at first, but once he got over it he hugged her back and smiled.

“Anytime.”

Dick was next. “Have a good life Stella. Really gonna miss you around here.” He said, taking her in for a big hug.

Stella smiled at him. “Thanks Dick. I’m gonna miss you too.”

She whispered softly in his ear. “Please look after him.” 

Dick pulled away and nodded, looking into her eyes with promise.

Barbara was next. She gave Stella a tight hug. “Stay safe for me. No more sneaking into mob parties you hear?” She joked.

“I will. Thanks Babs."

Jason looked at her suspiciously. Stella smiled a wide smile at him. She seemed to miss that part in her retelling of her adventures here. She had a lot of explaining to do when they got home.

“Stay safe out there.” Bruce said crossing his arms and smiling at her. 

“Will do Bats. I promise I won’t sneak out anymore.” She opened her arms for a hug, and Bruce leaned down and hugged her tight.

Damian huffed next to his father still frowning. Stella looked at him sadly.

“Goodbye Damian. Give Titus lots of love from me.”

Damian stayed silent. He turned around and crossed his arms. Stella didn’t miss the fact he ran his fingers over his eyes. Stella walked over towards him and hugged him from behind. She placed a gentle kiss on top of his head. She was holding back tears at this point. Damian didn’t turn around. He merely kept wiping the tears that were falling from his eyes. “I’ll miss you.” She said to him softly. She released him and Damian’s sobs could be heard now. She looked at him sadly and turned back to face Alfred.

His eyes were glossy. When Stella finally stepped up to him, tears fell from his eyes. This caused Stella to full on cry now. Not once had she ever seen Alfred cry. Alfred wrapped his arms around her, gently patting her back. “It’s okay Ms. Stella. You’re going home. It’s going to be okay now.” 

Jason was amazed. Stella had managed to touch so many people in so little time. He really was the luckiest man alive. He looked over at Renegade, who was now watching Stella and Alfred’s exchange. He felt a small pang of guilt wash over him. He could not imagine how it felt to lose Stella. He nearly went crazy after she disappeared for a month. But losing her? To the clown? He never wanted to know how that felt.

After Alfred and Stella gained a little bit of composure back. They finally pulled apart. She smiled at him with puffy red eyes.

“Thanks for everything Alfred.”

“My pleasure Ms. Stella.” He whispered to her.

He turned and looked at Jason. “Please keep her safe.” Jason looked at him and nodded. 

“I’ll do my best.”

Stella made her way back to Jason. He bent and she wrapped her arm around his neck. He got up and carried her bridal style, walking to stand next to Dick.

Stella glanced at Renegade. He didn’t say anything. He could barley look at her. 

“Jason.” She said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear her. Renegade looks up.

”Remember. She is always with you, even if you don’t see her around.” Stella said to him with a smile. He looks at her and nods. 

Dick clicks the button on the remote and a portal opens up in front of them.

Stella waves at everyone in the room.

“Thanks for everything. Till next time!” She says happily, before Nightwing steps through the portal, quickly followed by Red Hood and Stella. Stella glanced at her surrogate family one last time before they disappeared into darkness.

They showed up inside the watchtower. Landing was a bit rough, but they landed on their feet. Bruce, Alfred, Barbara, Tim, and Damian were there to greet them.

Barbara rolled up to Stella. Jason put Stella down and she leaned forward and hugged Barbara as best she could.

“Welcome back. How was it?” She asked curiously.

Stella smirked at her. “Oh do I have a story to tell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG. This is it. Its the end! Epilogue comes out tomorrow. But fret not. This is only series 1. Series 2 will land soon (Hopefully).


	20. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella receives a letter from an old friend.

Stella was in the kitchen making a coffee when she noticed a letter sitting on the counter. She picked up the letter and examined it. It was addressed to Stella, written in fancy script.

She opened it questionably. 

Dear Stella,

I hope you made it home okay. Things here are quiet without you. When Nightwing gave me the device I was able to take your worlds coordinate’s and copy them onto my computer. I hope this letter finds you well.

I just wanted to update you on a few things here. Not much has changed, but Bruce and Jason are no longer on killing terms anymore. Barbara ended up taking all of your clothes with her when you left. I have got to say, she is killing the style game now a days.

Damian mopped around for days after you left. He ended up signing up for an after school volunteer program at some local vets office. Alfred seems a bit lonely these days. I wish I could do something to fix that.

Jason left as soon as you were gone. But he’s different now. He no longer owns the Iceberg Lounge, he just sold it out of the blue. Renegade has not been seen for months. Though, there have been sightings of a man in a red mask saving people from muggings and robberies. None of us have seen him yet, but we are bound to run into him one day.

Jester showed himself again. So far he is no where as dangerous as his dad, but who knows. We’re keeping a close eye on his activities. 

I hope you’re all healed by now. I really miss having you around. Things are back to normal and well, normal was always kinda boring here at the manor. 

Stay safe. Say hi to Nightwing and Red Hood for me!

With love,

Tim

Stella was just about to finish the letter when she felt a familiar presence behind her.

“What are you smiling at over here Mrs. Todd?” Jason asked with a smile as his arms snaked around her waist. The named rolled off his tongue. He loved it.

She leaned into the embrace and kissed him on the cheek. He wrapped his hand around her smaller one and started to play with the large diamond ring that sat on her ring finger. She turned her attention back to the letter and smiled.

“Just an old friend checking in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And its done! Thank you guys for reading. This has been a blast. Working on a sequel now but no guarantees when that will be up. I like to pre-write my stories before I post so by the time I posted this it was already finished. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented. Your comments keep me going and I read every single one of them <3


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